The Unknown One
by CrimsonGreys
Summary: "This is quite peculiar indeed," said the hat after many minutes of being on her head in silence. "What do you mean? What house does she belong to?" Dumbledore asks, growing concerned. The Great Hall was filled with whispers making the tiny girl anxious. "I don't know, I'm blocked," that was all the hat could say. This has never happened to him before,"I can't sort her."
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

"I shall return when we are ready for you. Please, wait quietly." With that, Professor McGonagall left the chamber where all the first year students were. Left them to their own thoughts with a dash of anxiety and nerves, all wondering what house they would be sorted into. Some students have previously mentioned that they would leave if they were sorted into Hufflepuff, more were frightened of being placed in Slytherin.

The Professor returned, ushering the first years into the Great Hall. She placed a four-legged stool in front of them, with the Sorting Hat on top. Soon enough the hat began to sing. Immediately after applause erupted the Hall and the sorting had begun. It seems everyone was pleased with the house they were sorted into.

Once all the chatter had settled down, Albus Dumbledore got to his feet welcoming all the students before he announces the banquet to begin. Countless of plates filled with food took over all the tables, students started eating like no tomorrow. The long journey on Hogwarts Express might have had something to do with it.

Everyone was getting to know each other during the feast and having a wonderful time until there was a sudden interruption.

"Everyone stop what you are doing. Sorry to stop the banquet but we have one more student that needs to be sorted into a house," Professor McGonagall said. Walking down the middle aisle, passing all the students as she was heading to the where the Sorting Ceremony happened not too long ago. She paused and turned to the direction of the double doors of the Great Hall.

"Come again dearie," she said, trying to sound gentle compared to her usual strictness. Whispers broke out the silence that was present a moment before. Students including teachers were trying to understand what was happening. No one has ever been late for the Sorting Ceremony before, it was an unusual case.

Slowly, a small figure emerged from behind the doors into plain view for all to lay eyes on. Soft dark chocolate curls covered her face as she looked down, making her way to Professor McGonagall in tiny steps. Her curls hang inches off her shoulders, complimenting her light skin. So timid, like a sheep being thrown to a pack of wolves, she was out of place.

Whispers grew louder, so loud it was like normal chatter.

 _Who is she?_

 _I don't remember her on the train._

 _Did she get lost?_

Students were asking each other the same question over and over again, none of them remembers her on the train. Then again, she was small and quiet to attract attention, but if she wasn't on the train, where did she come from?

By the time she got to the Professor, the stool was at the same position like it never left, with McGonagall holding the Sorting Hat.

"Come, sit on the stool," she did as she was told. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on the girl's head. Silence fell throughout the entire hall, all eager to hear what the hat has to say about the girl.

"Well…this is very different," said the hat. "Child, why don't you let me in so I can see where you belong?" The girl was only looking at her hands which were clutching to each other for dear life. Whispers began once again. Growing concerned, Dumbledore made his way to Professor McGonagall.

"Not going to let me in I see," the hat said, almost defected, but didn't show it. McGonagall and Dumbledore stood in front of the girl, blocking her from the eyes of the students. Teachers could only see her back, but they were all concerned as to what was happening.

"What house does she belong to?" Professor Dumbledore asked quietly, getting more concerned of the situation.

"I…I don't know. This is peculiar indeed. Her oc- ah her mind is strong. I'm being blocked," the Sorting hat was almost ashamed of himself.

"What should we do? This has never happened before," McGonagall asked Dumbledore, hoping he had a solution. Dumbledore himself was deep in thought to answer her.

Before he could finally answer, the girl lifted the hat from her head and gave it to Dumbledore with a sad smile, a smile he returned. Her blue-grey eyes meeting his own as if they were communicating. Whispers and gasps had erupted the hall once again with what everyone had witnessed.

The Sorting Hat never announced what house she was belonged to.

No one has never been placed before.

A student with no house was not uncommon, it wasn't rare either. It has never happened in the history of Hogwarts. First time in history, good or bad will depend on the future.

"SILENCE!" His voice boomed, echoing down the hallway, interrupting and silencing everyone at once.

"It seems the Sorting hat has been exhausted and overwhelmed by the number of first years we've had," Dumbledore said looking at all the students.

"Until further notice…Gryffindor house will have a temporary student."


	2. Chapter 2

**A few days earlier. . .**

She walked down Diagon Alley, admiring the shops, even the Nimbus Two Thousand. Kids were still admiring it. Kids of all ages would have their face pressed against the window looking at the broom. Walking down the street wasn't so simple for her, it was more or less dodging people from walking into her. They never looked down. She was short, but not that short of the average height for her age.

She checked.

Going to Madam Malkin's was interesting. Given that no one else was there, Madam Malkin has given the girl her undivided attention. Though not much conversation took place, just a monologue starring Madam Malkin. The girl just stood on the stool and did what she was told. Soon enough her robes were complete.

Going through her list, she had crossed off nearly everything on the list of school supplies.

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand _Visit Ollivanders again_

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set of glass or crystal phials

1 telescope set

1 brass scales

" _How could I forget?"_

The last thing she needed was her wand.

The last two times she visited Ollivanders, she practically destroyed the place. Breaking vases, windows, not to mention pulling nearly all the drawers out in the store. If it was a muggle store, they would think someone robbed it. If it wasn't for magic, the shop would be closed for weeks. Maybe even months…

By the time she cleared her mind of thoughts, she was already at the foot of Ollivanders. She always liked the purple coloured cushion by the window.

She took a deep breath and opened the door; the bell rung making her presence known.

"You are right on time," she looked up and saw Mr Ollivander at the main desk smiling. She smiled and looked around the place. No vases, all high top drawers missing.

"I rather not get any more bumps from unexpected falling drawers," Mr Ollivander said. "They needed cleaning anyway," he says trying to sound hopeful. They both knew it could be a disaster just like the last time. Mr Ollivander was very determined on getting the perfect wand for her. Quite the perfectionist, not that she was complaining. She was just hoping that there was a wand that was meant for her.

They did, however, have backup wands. Given her first two visits to Ollivanders wasn't successful, they kept a list of wands that she might be able to handle. Of course, he didn't like the idea. He has never not found a wand for someone. He wasn't going to break traditions now.

Alder wood with unicorn hair seems to only crack a window glass over shattering it, which is what she did when she tried Fir wood with phoenix feather. Alder, Acacia and Black Walnut wood were so far seemed tolerant to be her wand, but they weren't the one.

"Let's try this one today. Cherry with dragon heartstring. Thirteen-and-three-quarter inches, brittle." Mr Ollivander gave her the wand. She gave it a swish and draw slowing opened. She smiled, while only Mr Ollivander had a priceless expression. He wasn't expecting this.

"This is rare indeed. The wand fancies you, but that's not your wand," he said, taking the wand from her grasp. She'll admit, there was a warm tingly sensation in her fingers when she held the wand, but no fireworks. It was downright odd. Doesn't the wand choose the witch/wizard?

"It's not the right time for this one," he muttered to himself and he placed the wand back in the box. He walked to the back of his store and come back with another box, he kept it aside and picked up a box that was already on the counter. "Yew with phoenix feature, eleven-and-three-quarter inches, slight-yielding," he gave her the wand with caution, eyeing her slightly. She flicked the wand and a row of drawers fell. "Hmm. I think I'm going about this all wrong. Quite interesting indeed." With that, he took the wand and placed it back in the box.

"I looked at this one and thought of you. I think this is the one," Mr Ollivander smiled. He opened the box he brought earlier. Pulled out a wand, quite a handsome wand. "Willow with phoenix feature. Twelve-and-a-half inches, rigid."

She grasped it, instantly sparks started to fly.

"Oh wonderful," he cried. She smiled. She wasn't all full of joy, she liked the tingly sensation she felt in her fingers when she held the other wand. That feeling was absent here.

"You hold great potential," Mr Ollivander said, interrupting her from her thoughts.

"Willow is known for their unusual healing properties and of course their attractive appearance, very beautiful. You have faced tragedy that might be similar to Harry Potter, terribly tragic. Don't let your insecurities stop you. Quite different from your parents I must say, very interesting. Given the cores temperament, to hold this wand, you need grave potential and you do. Though I must say, I will be seeing you again. Hopefully after your adventure in Hogwarts."

He placed the wand back in the box while she got her money to pay him. Once the transaction was complete, they smiled at each other then she left.

Leaving Ollivanders, walking down the street, she met her best friend. Four-legged yarn destroyer with immaculate black fur and a white sock on her front left paw. On their journey to meet with her guardian, she replayed what Mr Ollivander said to her.

" _Faced tragedy like Harry Potter? Doubt it. I wonder what he's like…Wonder if it's true about the scar. We might be in the same house. Fat chance, I'm likely to get into Hufflepuff compared to the other houses…Maybe school won't be that bad."_

Oh, how wrong she was.

 **Present time. . .**

"Until further notice…Gryffindor house will have a temporary student."

No one applauded. Silence was all there was. She stood up and walked to the Gryffindor table and sat at the edge, alone. All she could do was look at her hands, all eyes were on her. She could feel it.

At that point, Harry could empathise with her. He didn't understand the situation, but he understood the staring and being known for something that was out of their control. He wanted to comfort her but he didn't know how to. Having the 'boy who lived' approaching her may not be such a good idea. With that thought, he stayed put and just kept to himself.

Dumbledore clear this throat. "Continue with the feast," he said, making his way back to his chair.

No one really knew what to do or say in this situation.

'Hey, welcome to Gryffindor, even though you weren't sorted here, welcome to your new home?'

'Hey let's hope you're an asset to the house and not you know…'

'Why couldn't the hat sort you? Anyways welcome.'

'Oh hey, it's okay, things like this happen all the time.' (No, it doesn't).

What exactly is deemed appropriate to say in this situation?

As prefect, one would expect Percy Weasley to approach the girl and welcome her, but no. Everyone tried to play it cool and pretend like it never happened. Well, all except for one house.

"She's probably a muggle," Flint shouted, making the whole Slytherin table snicker.

"Better yet, Gryffindor got stuck with a Squib, her parents probably dragged her to school," Malfoy said. That alone caused laughter, some people seemed to have choked on their drink on that remark. He smirked, likely the reaction he caused.

The girl looked over at the Slytherin table and made direct eye contact with Malfoy. They made eye contact for a split second, but that's all it took to make him speechless. She was expressionless, un-phased by the harsh comments.

The laughter died down when they noticed the girl wasn't paying attention. Slytherin attempted to start making jokes again but got shut down by Gryffindor this time around. They had her back. Maybe they were warming up to the idea of a semi-permanent student. Or maybe they didn't like Slytherin trash talking about their house. Only time would tell.

Everyone was surprised at how calm she was. Nothing seemed to affect her.

All of a sudden she made eye contact with Hagrid, who was giving her two thumbs up. She slowly nodded and starting putting food on her plate. Roast vegetables and lamb. She ate very slowly, she was put off from eating given all the stares and whispers that surrounded her. Like an animal in a zoo. She knew she was going to be a centre of attention but she didn't realise it would be this bad.

By the time she was halfway through her food, all the mains and desserts disappeared all except for one bowl that was directly in front of her. She continued the same pace in eating while everyone listened to Dumbledore who was giving the start-of-term notices. She zoned out and concentrated on eating. Her appetite came once everyone was occupied and focusing on someone that wasn't her. She might have lost her appetite again when everyone was singing the school song all over the place. It was amusing, to say the least.

Dumbledore dismissed the students to head to bed. At that time she was still eating.

"I'll take the girl once she's finished eating," McGonagall said to Percy, who had already rounded up the first years.

"Yes Professor," Percy said, leaving the Great Hall with the first years following.

"We can take her," the twins said in unison.

McGonagall turned around to meet the faces of the Weasley twins. "How can I trust you two?" It was more of a rhetorical question but they answered anyway.

"We are responsible," said Fred.

"Well responsible as you expect us to be," George continued.

"I don't believe expectation that low exists," she muttered. They looked at her with the best puppy dog eyes they could do. She caved. "Well alright, show her the proper way and make sure she doesn't get lost. Don't harass her with questions either." With that McGonagall left the Great Hall. Was it really a good idea to leave her with the twins? She'll only find out tomorrow.

The Great Hall was practically empty by the time she started on her dessert. She deliberately ate slowly so she didn't have to be with the rest of the first years. She wasn't up for people staring at her. Before she could take a spoonful of her chocolate pudding, two figures sat in front of her. She looked and saw the twins.

"Don't mind us, eat," they said in unison. She didn't budge.

"We are here to escort you back to the Gryffindor house," said Fred.

"By the way, I'm George, that's Fred," George said with a smile.

"And you are?" Fred said, hoping for an answer, but didn't get one. Her response was filling her mouth with pudding. "We'll ask again after you finished eating," he said with a wink. That caused her to smile.

By the time they were walking on the staircase, she was yawning repeatedly. She held onto Fred's robe so she didn't lose her way. The real reason was so she wouldn't fall down or trip over. The twins were talking about their classes and their pranking schemes.

"We probably need Prissy for that one, she's the only one who can distract Mrs Norris," Fred said.

"Speaking of Prissy, I didn't see her today. She never misses dinner," George said.

"Oh right, Prissy is a black wolf that walks around the school. Quite tamed actually, usually sticks with Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. Been here since we started school, she distracts Mrs Norris a lot who usually gets people caught by Filch the caretaker," Fred said, informing her so she knew who they were talking about. She nodded in response.

"Prissy has gotten so many people out of trouble, it's interesting how Mrs Norris follows Prissy a lot," George said deep in thought. They must really like the wolf.

Out of nowhere Peeves swooped at them, but they all ducked with ease.

"No fun," Peeves muttered before disappearing.

After some time they reached the end of the corridor where a large picture hung of a woman in an old-fashioned silk dress.

"Password?" she asked.

"Caput Draconis," the twins said. She did a small bow to the old lady which cause her to smile and nod back at her. The portrait moved to reveal a doorway. The twins walked through and she followed suit.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor common room," once again they said it in unison. Wonder if they like doing that.

"Took you long enough," said Percy, getting off the couch.

"She wanted to finish her food," said Fred.

"Big deal, only fifteen minutes late," George said.

All Percy did was sigh at his brothers, they really didn't get along.

"Girls' dormitories are upstairs and down to your right. Boys' dormitories are the same but on the left. I believe your room is upstairs. All your belongings have been brought up. Now off to bed, classes start tomorrow so you'll need the rest," said Percy. He headed off to his room before anyone could respond to him.

"Such a delight, isn't he?" Fred said. Both George and the girl nodded as they yawned.

"Might have to call it a night," George said. She nodded and slowly made her way to the staircase.

"You never told us your name," Fred said. All she did was shrug with a playful smile.

" _Maybe it won't be so bad."_ With that thought, she curled up on the bed with her best friend, sleep taking over her within seconds.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

She again woke up in a cold sweat. She didn't understand why…What did she dream of?

She looked around. All her other roommates were still sleeping. She took it upon herself to get ready. It was her first day.

She sat on a sofa in the common room with Priscilla. Slowly, students came out of their dormitories and she instantly knew they were talking about her. Not that long after, there was a spilt silence before whispers started again. Harry Potter was in the common room. She was happy the attention wasn't on her anymore, but she felt bad for Harry.

Suddenly, she felt the sofa dip on each side of her. The twins had joined her.

"Morning," they said. She smiled.

"Going to tell us your name?" Fred said. There was a slight silence in the common room. The other Gryffindor students were listening in. She shrugged yet again at the question.

"If you're not going to tell us your name –"

"We'll give you one," George said, finishing Fred's thoughts.

She had a feeling they were going to try and find out her name. All she could do was smile and play with her pendant. The pendant was silver, shaped of a rose, which hung on a silver necklace around her neck.

"Nice rose necklace," Fred said, she smiled and nodded.

"Quite the quiet one, aren't you?" George said. The twin's eyes grew wide as if a bulb was switched on in their heads.

"Quiet girl."

Her smile grew wider. This was going to be interesting.

Sure enough, it was. Even though Professor McGonagall gave her, her class schedule a day late, it seems she wasn't on the class list. Whenever they did the roll call, she was never called. She became known for not the reasons she was hoping for.

She gained multiple nicknames. Every day the twins changed her nickname. Soon, people got into it. Slytherins' had fun calling her temporary, no house girl, charity case. It wasn't surprising that she wasn't fazed by such names. But through all that, she was noticed enough for people to approach her. Hermione introduced herself and they somewhat became study buddies, as they were roomies and had the same classes, no harm there.

Though, she always zoned out when Hermione went on a tangent.

Harry introduced himself shortly after as they sat near one another in class. They knew each other from what people said, but it was common courtesy. Ron was always there but he found it awkward that she never spoke.

Peeves made it his mission to scare the girl. She never once followed his directions (which were deliberately wrong), not that she asked anyway. He wanted to spook her so badly that she'll scream.

So far no luck.

Friday came along, the week went by faster than expected.

The girl was sitting between the twins at the Great Hall, telling her about their position on the Quidditch team. Her eyes were sparkling like the night sky. One way to get her attention was Quidditch. The twins already made plans to help her with try-outs for next year.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins," Ron groaned once again. HhhhhHe wasn't pleased given it was Slytherins and the Head of Slytherin, Professor Snape was teaching them.

That caught the girl's attention. She forgot it was not just one class, but two with Professor Snape.

" _Oh, what fun…"_

She made her way over to Hermione, who sat opposite of Harry and Ron. Before anything could be said, the mail arrived. Harry was surprised when he saw Hedwig with a note. He eagerly opened it.

Even though her owl too, was a snowy owl, he wasn't so loving like Hedwig. Howler was a cheeky one. He always liked to drop her mail on her head. She didn't complain, given she only expected letters at most. It was her second note this week. She chucked half a slice of eaten toast in the air, Howler caught it with his beak. He swooped and sat on her shoulder. Howler liked his toast very much and kept hooting in her ear. She gave him another slice of toast and he went on his way. By the time she paid attention, she saw Harry gave Hedwig a note before she flew off.

She opened her note.

 _You are doing well_

That was all that was said. She smiled to herself and placed the note in the pocket of her robes.

As Potions were held in one of the many dungeons; she clung to Hermione as it was much colder compared to the other classrooms.

Roll call took place and as usual, her name wasn't mentioned. She sat between Hermione and Harry, gazing at the blackboard. She was brought to reality when her view was blocked by Professor Snape. He was looking at Harry sharply. Hermione nudged her which caused her to elbow Harry. That made him pay attention to Snape over his parchment.

"Mister Potter. Our new celebrity," Professor Snape said. "Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Hermione's hand shot up, eager to answer. Harry shook his head while the girl started writing on her parchment.

"You don't know? Well. Let's try again. Where Mister Potter would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Hermione's hand shot up even higher if that was possible while the girl continued writing.

"I don't know, sir."

"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"I don't know, sir"

"Pity, Clearly fame isn't everything, is it Mister Potter?" Snape looked sternly at Harry. His eyes slowly drifted to the girl beside him.

"Ah, the temporary Gryffindor student. The silent celebrity." She looked up at him covering her parchment. He notices what she did and snatches the parchment from her grasp.

"Hmm, let's see what we have here." Slytherins were snickering in the background while he read what she wrote with an emotionless face.

"What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Snape repeated the question to the girl that he asked Harry moments before.

She didn't say anything, which caused more snickers from Slytherin. She got off her seat.

"You are not permitted to leave," he said sternly. "Answer the question."

With that, she walked to the front of the classroom. Everyone was eager to know what she was up to. She grabbed a stool and placed in from of the blackboard. Soft chuckles came from both houses. They thought it was cute, while she did not.

She took a white chalk and started writing on the board.

 _\- Asphodel and wormwood make a powerful sleeping potion known as the Draught of Living Death._

"Where would you look to find a bezoar?"

 _\- A bezoar is a stone like mass which is taken from the stomach of a goat._

 _Bezoar can save you from most poisons._

"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

 _\- They are the same plant, also known as aconite._

With that, she got off the stool, place the chalk back and returned to her seat. It was silent. Some students were filled with amazement and some were in shock about what happened.

She seemed to have that effect on people.

"Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?" Snape said. Students got their quills and began writing. Snape slowing gave back the girl's parchment, looking at her. "Five points to Gryffindor," he muttered, taking one last look at her before walking away.

It seemed she got a slight praise from Snape. She was probably the only Gryffindor he was 'nice' to. Especially for the fact that no student has ever written on his blackboard.

After her classes ended, she made it to the library and sat at a spot that wasn't easy to see. Given her height, she was hiding in plain sight. She revised her lesson before slowly drifting off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron were visiting Hagrid. Harry had gotten a note from him that morning delivered by Hedwig about having tea. The boys had been telling Hagrid about their potions lesson with Snape.

"He seemed to really hate me," Harry said.

"Rubbish, why would he?" Hagrid said.

"He seemed to like…" Harry paused, he didn't know her name. "The quiet girl. He seems to like her." He didn't like the way he said it. He never asked for her name, yet they sat together like friends.

"Unusual he fancies." Hagrid stopped talking, it seemed he caught himself before he said something he shouldn't. "How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid said, changing the topic.

Harry notice the change in topic, Hagrid knew something. Harry's thoughts were interrupted when he picked up a place of paper off the table. It was a newspaper clipping from the Daily Prophet about a break-in at Gringotts which happened on his birthday. Before he could ask Hagrid anything, Prissy came into the hut. He had seen Prissy around the school grounds but never been so close to the wolf.

Prissy did a small bow to Hagrid and headed towards Harry. This caused Fang to move to Ron. She yarn showed her sharp teeth, the yarn itself made the boys flinched, seeing her teeth made them move away. Fang bolted to Hagrid which caused him to chuckle. Prissy went and sat next to Harry and rested her head on his lap.

Harry just froze, he wasn't sure what to do.

"Relax Harry, she won't bite you," Hagrid chuckled.

"Easy for you to say," Harry said through his teeth.

"Did you see her teeth?" Ron exclaimed. He gulped just remembering the moment.

"She's harmless," Hagrid said laughing. Prissy just scoffed at him.

"Quite intelligent, doesn't like just anyone. Pet her Harry." Harry did just that. Prissy started to make a low humming sound. Was the wolf purring?

"Never seen her approach someone in such a short time."

After a while, Harry and Ron left along with Prissy. By the time the boys made it to the Great Hall, Prissy disappeared. Wasn't surprising. She barely was seen in the Great Hall during meals.

The girl, on the other hand, was rushing to make it to dinner. She was woken up by Madam Pince abruptly, she overslept and was close to being late for dinner. Soon, she could see the Great Hall doors in sight but was soon covered with bodies. Malfoy and his group had blocked her way.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" Malfoy said. She really wanted to wipe that smug grin off his face. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Slytherin. She really wanted to eat. Her long nap made her hungry like no other.

"It's the mute girl all alone," Parkinson said, using her best mocking tone. The girl just stood there silently while Slytherins just snickered. "She can't even defend herself. How is she allowed to be in Hogwarts?"

"She's probably muggle-born," Malfoy states, being all superior. She looked up at him, the same way she did at the start-of-term banquet. The same effect, he was speechless.

She was unaffected by the remarks.

More insults were spat at her. Mainly by Parkinson.

Then she did the unthinkable.

She walked away.

As she was about to enter the hall, she collided with somebody's chest.

"There you are. We were wondering where you were." She started rubbing her nose. She was disorientated to pay attention as to who was talking to her.

"We thought you got lost," another voice said.

She instantly knew it was the twins and let them lead her to the Gryffindor table. Her nose still felt funny though, she really needed to focus more.

"We heard that Snape seems you like a Slytherin," Fred said. That line made her crunch up her nose causing the twins to laugh.

Throughout dinner, they talked about their week, and what would be happening the following week. The twins spoke about try-outs and how they were desperate for a new Seeker since their older brother Charlie, was Gryffindor's Seeker until last year when he graduated.

They made it back to the common room, heading in opposite directions.

"You gonna tell us your name?" George asked. All she did was shrug and fiddle with her necklace.

"You keep doing that," Fred said. She just smiled before heading to her room.

Week two came along. All the first years were groaning about having their flying lesson with Slytherin. She already grumbled about it when she woke up.

Perks of being up early.

Wrong.

She didn't think she had to deal with the snake pit more than necessary.

Thursday arrived faster than expected. As many were excited about their flying lessons, many were nervous especially Neville, even Hermione.

Once again Hermione went on a tangent, this time about flying.

Everyone was getting bored and focused on Finnigan trying to turn water into rum. That too was getting boring until he explodes the cup, causing the students to laugh.

The girl smiled. _"A for effort."_

The mail soon arrived. Harry was surprised he got mail too. First one since Hagrid's note.

"Hey, look! Neville's got a remembrall," Thomas said. Neville was holding it while others checked it out.

"I've read about those. When the smoke turns red, it means you've forgotten something," Hermione said. Just as she explains, the remembrall turns red.

"The only problem is, I can't remember what I've forgotten," Neville said defeated. As Neville tried to remember what he'd forgotten Malfoy snatched the remembrall from his grasp. This caused Harry and Ron to stand up. Before they could walk to Malfoy, the girl was already there in front of him with her left palm out, gesturing for Malfoy to give it back.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat which prompted Malfoy to give it to the girl before leaving the Great Hall. The girl gave it back Neville.

"Thank you." She smiled and sat back in her seat.

Finally, it was their first flying lesson. Students all gathered on the green lawn, standing by the broomsticks; Gryffindor on one side and Slytherin on the other, waiting for Madam Hooch to arrive.

"Good afternoon, class."

"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch," the class said.

"Welcome to your first flying lesson. What are you waiting for? Everyone step up to the left side of you. Come on now, hurry up. Stick your right hand over the broom and say, UP!"

"UP!" The class said. Harry and the girl's broom flew up into their hands. Hermione just looked left and right of her, baffled.

"I didn't hear you say up," she questioned the girl. The girl just shrugged.

"With feeling!" Madam Hooch shouts.

Eventually, everyone held their brooms, Madam Hooch gave more instructions. Once she blew her whistle, Neville launched into the air, high up. He couldn't control his broom and evidently fell from a high height. Everyone crowded around him, while Madam Hooch checked for injuries.

"Broken wrist," she muttered. She got Neville to his feet and told the class to stay put while she took Neville to the hospital wing.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?" Malfoy said laughing, the other Slytherins joined in.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Parvati snapped.

"Sticking up for Longbottom? Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati," Parkinson said.

"Look! It's the thing Longbottom got from his gran," Malfoy said, holding up the remembrall.

"Give it here, Malfoy," Harry said.

"No," Malfoy said nastily. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find." With that, he got on his broom. "How about the roof?" Malfoy started to fly.

All the girl could do was watch, she grasped her broom tightly. She didn't like how Malfoy as trying to get Harry into trouble. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Harry in the air approaching Malfoy.

" _Oh great. Someone else is going to the hospital wing,"_ she thought.

Some of them couldn't hear what the boys were talking out, but she could make it out.

Malfoy throws the remembrall long; Harry dashes after the ball, out of sight. Before Malfoy heads towards the ground he sees Harry coming back. He flies towards him, which makes the girl tale action.

She flies towards them, causing all the students to call her. By the time she got near, Harry is trying to pass Malfoy, while Malfoy is trying to get the remembrall.

She whistles. Both the boys looked in her direction, as she waved her arms at Harry. Without a second thought, he throws the remembrall at her, causing Malfoy to chase after her too. She catches it with ease and zooms off deviating around a building. Malfoy was closing the distance between them. She eventually sees Harry and throws the ball back to him just as he touches the ground, both the girl and Malfoy do the same. Students cheer and surround Harry, all excited for what he did.

A celebration short-lived.

"Harry Potter! Rose!"

They finally knew her name.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

"Harry Potter! Rose!" Professor McGonagall walked quickly towards the students. "Y-you could've broken your neck," she said in shock. "Come with me, both of you." Harry and Rose followed quietly.

" _Why isn't Malfoy with us?"_

Following Professor McGonagall, Harry and Rose were a few steps behind her.

"Nice flying," Harry whispered. She smiled.

" _You too,"_ she charades her thoughts to him.

He smiled. He understood what she meant.

"Thank you for the letter. I never got a chance to thank you." She smiled. Rose knew Harry wouldn't get letters so she decided to send one. She was nervous but glad she sent it.

"You two, wait here," said Professor McGonagall, before she approached Professor Quirrell's class.

Harry and Rose just looked at each other. How much trouble were they in?

"Could I borrow Wood for a moment?" They heard her say. Seconds later Professor McGonagall came out of the room with another student. A Gryffindor.

"Potter, Rose, this is Oliver Wood. Wood, I have found you a Seeker," she said with excitement. Wood's expression from whatever it was, turned into delight.

McGonagall and Wood were talking to Harry, casually asking him questions.

But, where did that leave Rose?

Her question was answered sooner than expected.

"And her?" Wood said, slightly concerned. Everyone knew she never speaks, how could she be a team player without communication?

"She would make an excellent Chaser in the future. I saw how she caught the ball and threw it back to Potter. Steady, calm and control, she should be trained. She might be a reserve player."

Wood nodded. If McGonagall said she's good, she's good.

It didn't hit Rose until later that she indirectly made the Quidditch team.

"Seeker? But first years never make their house teams!" Ron said in amazement. "You must be the youngest Quidditch layer in-"

"A century, according to McGonagall," Harry interrupted. Fred and George joined the boys and walked by their sides.

"Hey! Well done, Harry! Wood's just told us!" Fred said.

"Fred and George are on the team, too. Beaters," Ron explained.

"Our job is to make sure you don't get bloodied up too bad. Can't make any promises, of course. Rough game, Quidditch," George said.

"Oh, where's Rose? We need to congratulate her too." Fred said.

"How do you know her name?" Ron asked.

"We knew for a week now," he simply stated.

"Besides, the whole school knows now," George said. The twins went in another direction from Harry and Ron.

The boys were soon face-to-face with Malfoy, who decided to challenge Harry to a wizard's duel. Of course, Harry didn't know what it was. Being raised by such muggles placed him at a disadvantage. Before he could absorb what had happened, Ron agreed to be his second, meaning he agreed to the duel on behalf of Harry. Lovely.

Harry tried to distract himself by thinking of Quidditch, though that didn't work out so well.

"I've never even played Quidditch, what if I make a fool of myself?"

"You won't make a fool of yourself. It's in your blood." Hermione said out of the blue. She led the boys to the trophy case.

Prissy was already there sitting in front of the showcase starring at something. They followed her gaze and Hermione pointed to where Prissy was staring at. It was a plaque of Gryffindor players, under Seeker said James Potter.

"Harry, you never told me your father was a Seeker too," Ron said excitedly.

"I didn't know," said HarryarryH, looking shocked. He smiled, he felt connected to his father.

Prissy did a bow at them and they nodded in return.

"She's rather friendly for a wolf," Hermione stated.

"Friendly? It's a wolf," said Ron. Prissy scoffed.

"I think she's pretty cool," Harry said. Prissy wagged her tail at that remark.

They all headed back to the common room. On their way there, Ron was talking about the duel with Malfoy, which Hermione did not like. By the time they reached the common room, Prissy had disappeared.

They saw Rose by the fireplace. She kept a low profile once word got around about Quidditch and her name. She didn't think it would make such a commotion. The trio decided to not tell Rose about the duel. She had enough on her plate.

"Why aren't you shocked about finding out her name? Ron asked Hermione.

"I found out her name last week," she simply said.

"How? She doesn't even talk!"

"She doesn't _need_ to talk."

"What?"

"Her necklace, it has a Rose on it. She always touches it when her name is mentioned." With that, they went their separate ways.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were sneaking into the trophy room. Hermione was only meant to stop them but ended up joining then when the Fat Lady in the portrait disappeared. They finally made it to the room and waited for Malfoy to arrive.

Instead, they heard Filch talking to Mrs Norris.

"They're in here somewhere," he said, entering the trophy room. "Probably hiding."

They knew they got played by Malfoy.

They heard a soft whine from behind and the trio quickly turned to see no other than Prissy. She wanted them to follow her and they did. Ron bumped into a suit of armour which made their presence known. Prissy started picking the pace and the trio followed suit. She led them through a hidden passageway which made them end up far from the trophy room.

They were in the clear for now.

"We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," Ron said. No one was fussing. Mainly because Hermione was still catching her breath.

Prissy takes a few steps forward, cautiously. Suddenly Peeves came out in front of them.

He saw them all and squealed, "Wondering around midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Should tell Filch, I should." His smile grew wider.

Prissy started to growl at Peeves. Peeves of course never liked Prissy, mutual feeling. He always tried to get her in trouble and tonight was the night.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS OUT OF BED!"

All of them ran.

After a few minutes, they found the staircases.

"Phew, we're nearly there," Ron said. Harry nodded in agreement.

One of the railings to the staircase pulled in. Hermione noticed it but didn't think it was anything. Prissy, on the other hand, kept nudging Harry with her head.

"What is it Prissy?" He asked. Suddenly, the staircase moves, making the trio grip the railings. "What's happening?"

"The staircase change, remember?" Hermione said. The staircase stops as Prissy walks to the door.

"Let's go," said Harry, "before the staircase moves again." They open the door and dashed in. "Does anyone feel like, we shouldn't be here?"

"We're not supposed to be here. This is the third floor. It's forbidden," said ermiH

Hermione.

Suddenly a flame ignites on a tall stone support and Mrs Norris makes an appearance, making the trio jump.

"It's Filch's cat," said Ron.

"Run!" Cries Harry, leading Ron and Hermione away.

Prissy stays behind, blocking Mrs Norris's view of the trio. Moments later, Prissy turns around and sees flames but no students.

"Anyone here, my sweet?" Mrs Norris circles Prissy. "Come on, you two," he grunts. He never fancied Prissy but was civil because of Mrs Norris. They all exited the corridor.

Let's hope the trio doesn't get into any more trouble.

They were breathless by the time they got back to the common room. Ron and Hermione were arguing about the three-headed dog and the trap door. Their conversation was interrupted by a yawn.

Their heads shot to the fireplace and they saw Rose stretching.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked.

"She tends to sleep here on most nights. She likes the warmth," Hermione explains. "Goodnight Rose." Rose waves at them before she snuggles back by the fire.

"Good night," Harry said. Rose whistles in response.

The trio head upstairs, continuing their conversation in a whisper.

"Guarding something?" Harry said.

"That's right. Now, if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed…or worse, expelled." Hermione turns, walks through the door and shuts the door behind her.

"She needs to sort out her priorities," Ron said. Harry nodded in agreement once again.

He took one last look at the sleeping Rose before he retired for the night.

The next day, Malfoy was shocked to see Harry and Ron during breakfast. He then saw the girl…Slytherins were talking around her once her name got around. No one knows a family with that name. The only similar name was Rosier, which Malfoy quickly denied. He didn't want to be related to her, he had a reputation to hold…well build, given he's a first-year.

Weekend soon came around, Harry and Rose's first Quidditch practice took place in the morning. Wood and Harry carried a wooden trunk while Rose just held onto Harry's sweater. They placed the trunk on the flat green grass and hovered around it. He opened the trunk, which held different-sized balls inside.

"Quidditch is easy enough to understand," Wood said. "There are seven players on each side. Three Chasers, two Beaters, a Keeper and a Seeker. There are three kinds of balls." Wood picked up a red ball about the size of a netball. "This one's called a Quaffle," he looks at Rose before continuing, "Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and get it through one of the three hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops." Rose nods. "The Keeper, that's me, defends the hoops." He looks at Harry, "With me so far?"

"I think so," said Harry. "What are those?" He points to the balls that were smaller than the Quaffle, chained to the trunk, straining to escape. Rose stepped behind Wood, she knew enough from the twins to not get in their way.

"You better take this," Wood said to Harry, passing him a small bat. "Stand back," he warned. He bends down and releases one of the balls. Instantly it flies into the air, soon it pelted straight down, heading towards them.

"Careful now, it's comin' back," said Wood.

Harry swung the bat and hits the ball.

"Not bad, Potter, you'd make a fair beater . . . Uh-oh." Wood said, watching the ball coming back. He catches it and eventually places it back in the trunk after much struggle.

Harry and Rose looked in amazement. For Harry, more feat than amazement.

"What was that?"

"Bludgers, nasty little things. Bludgers fly around aiming to knock players off their broom. It's the beaters job to protect their team from the Bludgers and try and knock them towards the other team. But enough of that." He opened a small chamber and takes a small gold ball. A tiny ball, maybe even smaller than a golf ball.

"The only ball I want you to worry about is this, The Golden Snitch," he places the snitch on Harry's hand.

"I like this ball," said Harry.

"This is the most important ball of the lot. You may like it now, but it's wicked fast and damn near impossible to see."

"What do I do with it?"

"You catch it...Before the other team's Seeker. You catch this, the game is over with an extra hundred and fifty points. You catch this, Potter, and we win."

The Snitch fluttered two silver wings and jumped in the air. Wood looked around for it while Harry and Rose kept an eye on it. The gold ball was getting higher and further from them. Rose ran towards the Snitch, pushed off the ground and caught it before it could get away any further.

That shocked both Wood and Harry.

"Interesting," said Wood, still shocked.

Soon the Weasley twins came along, holding broomsticks. Wood practised with Harry using golf balls instead of the actual Golden Snitch, while the twins practised throwing the Quaffle to each other and in the hoops. They both never faltered, which Wood seemed to smile at.

They might have a shot at the Quidditch Cup after all.

Quidditch practice was three times a week, with classes and an increase inArryHhjjjjj homework, weeks were going by fast. Rose had built a stronger foundation with everyone. Everyone other than Slytherin, it became apparent that they couldn't figure out who she is.

Eventually, teachers started using her name in class. She either gave them a parchment with her answer or she'd write it on the blackboard. Given that she was nearly as smart as Hermione, she wasn't nervous about writing her answer on the board.

It was finally Halloween, the day commenced as usual. Rose was hoping for a day off but that was wishful thinking. There was a big feast at the end of the day which motivated her to get through her classes.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practising," Professor Flitwick said. It was finally the lesson where they would perform magic, well at least attempt to. "Uh, do you all have your feathers?" Most of the students muttered a yes and some nodded, while Hermione eagerly raised her feather. Someone was clearly excited.

"Good. Now, the swish and flick. Everyone swish and flick," the class follows. "Good. Enunciate. Wingardium Leviosa. Off you go then." Everyone started to practice. Rose just watched Ron flicking his wand repeatedly, slightly amusing until Hermione interrupted.

"Stop, stop, stop. You're going to take someone's eye out," Hermione said. Rose nodded. "Besides, you're saying it wrong. It's Leviosa, not Leviosar." She had a point.

Hermione clears her throat, rolled up her sleeves and swished her wand. "Wingardium Leviosa," and flicks. Her feather slowly rose from the desk and hovered high above their heads.

"Oh well done!" Cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "See here, everyone! Miss Granger's done it! Oh, splendid!" Everyone was looking, watching the feather.

"Oh look! Miss Rose's done it too! Keep it steady and concentrate Rose, lovely." Professor Flitwick said.

Rose was hovering the feather slightly over her head. Hermione was looking at her, did she even say the spell? All of a sudden.

 _ **BOOM!**_

Seamus's feather exploded.

The sudden explosion caused Rose to lose focus of her feather. It landed on her face, tickling her nose, making her sneeze. Harry laughed while she just pouted.

By the time everyone left the class, Ron was in a grumpy mood.

"Honestly, she's a nightmare. It's Leviosa, not Leviosar," Ron said mimicking Hermione. He was walking with Harry, Neville and Seamus all being quiet, letting Ron blow off steam. "No wonder she hasn't got any friends."

Hermione walks by fast, bumping shoulders with Harry on the way. Rose wasn't that far behind.

"I think she heard you," Harry said.

Rose lost track of Hermione in the crowd. She stopped walking and sighed in defeat. She disliked her height in these situations.

"Let's go," Harry said to Rose. She responded by putting her hand in front of the boys. "What is it?"

She gestured for Ron to come closer.

"W-What?" he said worriedly. They weren't really close yet, to be friends, but they were definitely getting closer. Before he could think any further.

 _ **WHACK**_

The back of his head started throbbing. Her answer was by whacking him in the head. She wasn't happy at all with what he said. Hermione has friends . . . Well, at least one.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" Rose just looked at him angrily. He gulped.

He knew why.

Harry stayed between the two of them as they went to class. Rose held onto his sleeve till they reached their seats. Hermione never turned up to class, any class that day for that matter.

Rose found Hermione in the bathroom, crying. Hermione wanted to be left alone, eventually Rose left. She probably needed to get it out of her system. Rose didn't need to tell Harry about Hermione. Parvati Patil was loud enough for Harry and Ron to hear about everything. Ron was quite awkward about it all, he was wary of Rose given her public assault. The twins laughed about it though.

Halloween dinner at the Great Hall. Something Rose was waiting for. She sat in her usual spot, between the twins. She immediately began to fill her plate with pumpkin pasties, her inner weakness. Moments later, Prissy whined behind Rose. She turned around and gave her food which she ate straight away, then went to curl up by Professor McGonagall's feet.

"Didn't know you're friends with Prissy," Fred said.

" _We're tight,"_ she thought as she entwined her fingers and wriggled her eyebrows at him. This caused the twins to laugh which she smiled at.

Professor Quirrell burst into the room screaming.

"TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON! TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON!" He pants. "Though you ought to know," he said, before fainting to the ground.

Silence eloped the hall before panic erupted.

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore shouts. Everyone stopped, just like two months ago at the start-of-term banquet. "Everyone please, not panic. Prefects, lead your house back to the dormitories. Teachers, follow me to the dungeons."

"You better come with us R-," Fred paused. His words got interrupted when he saw what Rose was doing. Instead of panicking, she was filling her pockets with pumpkin pasties.

"Of course," said the twins. They pulled Rose away from the table and followed the rest of the Gryffindor students.

Rose had a bad feeling, but she didn't know what it was about.

It wasn't long before they reached the common room, Rose went to her room and took out all the pasties she gathered. She left half of them on Hermione's bed and proceeded to write a note.

I know today wasn't the best.

You'll always have a friend. One that'll sneak in pasties for you.

Harry Halloween Mione!

~R

She places the note on Hermione's bed.

" _What am I forgetting?"_

Then it dawned on her.

Harry and Ron were fighting the troll…Well trying to. Harry was currently upside down due to the troll, holding him by his leg. The troll was swiping his club at Harry, but Harry kept pulling himself up and dodging the blows.

"Do something!" Harry said as he dodges another hit.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Anything! Quick!"

Ron grabs his wand, gripped it as if a war was coming. Hermione guided him on what to do, moving her hand as if she held a wand and was doing the spell herself.

He performs the spell and before long, the first-years had a passed out troll in front of them. They were brought back to reality when they heard barking.

Prissy came towards them and growled when she saw the troll, but stopped once she realised that it was knocked out. She went to Harry who was concerned about his wand. She then circled around Hermione until she patted her. It looked like she sighed in relief if that was possible for a wolf.

Footsteps were soon heard, the students looked and saw their professors.

"Oh! Oh my goodness! E-Explain yourselves!" Said Professor McGonagall. Prissy didn't pay attention, she slowly walked towards the troll and looked at the surroundings.

"Prissy," Professor McGonagall said. "Follow me," she said sternly. Prissy followed, keeping her head down. The first time they saw Prissy look like a child in trouble.

The trio walked in silence as they returned to a noisy common room. It was that moment with the troll that made them friends. An experience like that can never be forgotten.

Minutes later a pale-looking Rose came back to the common room, as well as a couple of older students behind her. Not even pumpkin pasties could lift up her mood. She went straight to her room and slept. No one knew she left and came back.

Cost of being quiet.

Saturday was finally here. Quidditch season had begun, first game; Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Stacks were high. Gryffindor wanted to beat Slytherin for many reasons, one main point was that this win would move them to second place in the House Championship.

Harry had immense pressure given he was the Seeker and their only hope of winning. Wood trained him hard as well as everyone else on the team, even Rose, despite her being a reserve Chaser.

"Ron's right, Harry. You're going to need your strength today," said Hermione.

Harry was too nervous to even have toast. Soon Professor Snape approached them. After seeing Snape limping, Harry made the conclusion that Snape let the troll in to get past the three-headed dog they encountered before. He was slowly putting the pieces together, but not all the pieces were correct.

Owl screeches were heard.

Hedwig was carrying a large parcel, drops it in front of Harry before flying off.

"Bit early for mail, isn't it?" Hermione said.

"But I-I," Harry stopped talking. Since their first flying lesson, Harry and Rose have been sending each other letters. So he was technically getting mail. Then a thought crossed him.

"Where's Rose?"

"Never mind her, let's open it," Ron said eagerly.

They opened it to reveal a broomstick, a Nimbus 2000. He looked and saw Hedwig with Professor McGonagall, he knew who it was from.

"First-year Seeker with a Nimbus 2000!" Ron said. "Wicked."

 _ **THUD**_

All of sudden there was a loud thud at the entrance of the Great Hall. They moved and saw Rose on the floor with a parcel on her. She was rubbing her head, scrunching her nose. She noticed the parcel and her face went pale. It was the same shape as Harry's.

She straight away made eye contact with Harry.

"I guess I'm not the only first-year playing."

With that, Howler sat on her head with triumph and hooted.

Not what she was expecting.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

In the locker room, everyone was listening to Wood's speech. Rose was still putting on her Scarlet Quidditch robes, thinking about what happened moments before.

Rose was rushing to the Great Hall. She couldn't sleep much initially but ended up going into a deep slumber.

 _Why didn't 'Mione wake me up?_

On Halloween night, after the troll incident was dealt with, Rose was taken to the hospital ward. She saw half the Quidditch team surrounding a bed. During the whole troll ordeal, Slytherins played a prank on Alicia Spinnet, a Chaser on the team. Though she had no physical injuries, she was shaken. Wood told Rose there was a chance she would be playing the first game. Rose wasn't mentally ready for that and prayed Spinnet would be okay for the match.

Once she reached the Great Hall, she got hit by something heavy on the head and fell. She looked and saw a parcel on her . . . the shape of a broomstick.

She went pale.

Her prayers weren't answered.

Present time. . .

"Right, it's time. Good luck, all of you." Wood's word brought her back. "Rose, you'll be great." He patted her shoulder. She was more nervous than she thought.

" _I won't let them down."_

The Gryffindor team lined up, inside a Quidditch tower. She walked up with Harry, who seemed more nervous after hearing Wood's first game. She walked to her position, beside Chaser Angelina Johnson. She, along with Chaser Katie Bell, gave Rose a warm smile. Though they were upset with Spinnet being absent, they knew Rose would do great.

Soon the doors open, they mounted their brooms and flew off. There were cheers from all around the pitch.

Quidditch players flew across the field. Some flew around the towers and poles, while some waved to their friends from their own house, which Rose did.

She found Hagrid and waves at him, she soon saw Hermione and Ron who excitedly waved back. She smiled, feeling a bit at ease before taking a position with the other Chasers. 

"Hello, and welcome to Hogwarts' first Quidditch game of the season! Today's game Slytherin versus Gryffindor!" Jordan said. Lee Jordan, a close friend of the Weasley twins was doing the commentary today, being closely watched by Professor McGonagall of course. "The players take their positions as Madam Hooch steps out onto the field to begin the game."

Madam Hooch was refereeing, holding her broom in hand, she waited for all players to get into position.

"Now, I want a nice clean game," said Madam Hooch. "From _all_ of you," she was strongly hinting to the Slytherins. If only looks could send messages.

She kicks the trunk.

"The bludgers are up…followed by the Golden Snitch. Remember, the Snitch is worth 150 points. The Seeker who catches the Snitch ends the game," Jordan said. Madam Hooch grabs the Quaffle and throws it into the air. "The Quaffle is released…and the game begins! And the Quaffle is immediately taken by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor. What an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive-"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor." We can see why McGonagall closely watches Jordan.

"She's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Rose, a reserve player who suddenly had to play due to a prank Slytherins -"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor. She's really flying, dodging a speeding bludger with Adrian Pucey on her tail. She passes back to Johnson—GRYFFINDORS SCORE! 10 points for Gryffindor!"

Gryffindor cheers while Slytherin just groan.

"Slytherin take possession of the Quaffle. Bletchley passes to Captain Marcus Flint and off he goes. Flint flying like an eagle up there - - he throws at the hoops to score but no! Stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood. Gryffindors have taken possession of the Quaffle once again."

Johnson and Bell are passing the Quaffle back and forth between towers, heading towards the Slytherin goal. Slytherins are gaining on them. Bletchley, Slytherin's Keeper is keeping an eye on them. Johnson takes the Quaffle, she hears a whistle and sees Rose open with no one with her. Johnson passes it to Rose, she scores without hesitation.

"Rose scores, Slythering under the snake's nose."

"Jordan, I'm warning you -"

"Another 10 points for Gryffindor."

Rose was smiling, her first score. arry was clapping away, smiling Rose.

Harry was clapping away, smiling at Rose. She whistled quickly at him as a bludger zoomed by him.

Harry got the message to focus.

Slytherin tries to score but was blocked again by Wood. Flint, didn't like Wood's constant blocking. He grabbed a bat off a beater and hits a bludger right at Wood. It hits Wood in the stomach, knocking him off his broom. He was out for the rest of the match. No one on the team was happy about this. Gryffindor's goals were now open, more than over.

Slytherins laugh while Gryffindor boos.

So much for a clean game.

Slytherin score, given there, was no keeper, they all cheer.

Rose was not happy.

Bell got the Quaffle, Pucey snatches it and passes it to Flint who attempts to score. Rose swoops in and catches the Quaffle and immediately throws it to Johnson.

"It is clear Rose isn't just a reserve Chaser, possible Wildcard?" A whisper ran through the crowd at what Jordan said. What exactly is Rose capable of?

When Slytherin tried to score again, Rose managed to catch the Quaffle. Before she could throw the Quaffle, both bludgers went passed her, one hitting her left shoulder.

She made herself a target. The twins could only do so much.

The Quaffle was still in her possession. Clearly, they were expecting for her to fall. She threw it to Johnson who flew off with the Slytherin Chasers right behind her.

Rose stayed put, she had to adjust herself. Just throwing the Quaffle made her shoulder hurt worse. It was going to swell no doubt. While Rose was distracted herself, she didn't notice Johnson being boxed in by Slytherin. They got the Quaffle from her and was heading towards Rose. She was ready.

Suddenly a bludger came from behind, Pucey, pelting at her. As she dodged it, Pucey scored.

No matter what Rose was doing, passing the Quaffle, scoring, there was a bludger coming her way. She wanted Harry to catch the Snitch fast, but he seemed to have lost control of his broom which the Slytherins seem to find amusement in. Rose couldn't do anything to help. Just focusing itself was becoming difficult. She really wanted to sleep.

"Johnson is finally back on her broom, she catches the Quaffle from Bell and passes it to Rose – she scores! Oh, the seekers seem to have got sight of the snitch!"

Just as everyone's attention move to Harry, Rose gets hit in the head by a bludger. She tries to stay on her broom but ends up falling off, knocking one of the goal poles on her way to the ground.

The crowd gasps. Mainly about Harry tumbling to the ground over Rose falling down.

"He's got the Snitch! Harry Potter receives 150 points for catching the Snitch!"

Madam Hooch blows her whistle, "Gryffindor wins!" Everyone cheers while Slytherin starts to mope.

As many surrounded Harry for catching the Snitch, McGonagall and the twins hurried to Rose. McGonagall checked for broken bones and open wounds.

"H-how is she?" Fred asked. He was too caught up in the moment of Harry catching the Snitch that he forgot his role on the team.

"She's going to be okay, right?.. Professor?" George said, waiting for an answer.

"Someone please carry her." Without saying another word, Fred picked Rose up and headed straight to Madam Pomfrey. George and McGonagall were by his side.

Fred and George were slightly concerned about Professor McGonagall, she was more worried than they have ever seen her before.

They went to the Hospital Wing and searched for a bed, Fred slowly placed Rose on the bed while Madam Pomfrey approached her.

"Step aside," she said to no one in particular. She scanned Rose, checking for wounds, taking mental notes in her head.

"During the match, a bludger hit her left shoulder," Fred said.

"We think a bludger hit her off her broom," George said quietly, almost ashamed of himself.

Madam Pomfrey took note of what the twins said, "She will be fine. Minerva, she will be fine." She tried her best to reassure McGonagall. "There will be improvements in less than a week. She must rest for now. Visitors, _only_ once she has woken."

With that, the twins left. Eventually, Professor McGonagall left.

Many students were visiting every day to see Rose, some didn't even know her. Many were eager to get to know her after her Quidditch performance. Madam Pomfrey had a rough time telling people to leave. Many left gifts, mainly pumpkin pasties. You couldn't even see her with all the gifts surrounding her.

Rose woke up a few days after the game. It was a blur before she figured out that she was at the hospital. She immediately went to touch her left shoulder. No swelling.

" _Guess it wasn't a hard hit like I thought."_

"Oh, you're awake dear," Madam Pomfrey came and checked her vitals. "Surprisingly no major injuries. Drink this, you'll just have to stay a couple more days." Rose drank from the cup she was given and looked at Madam Pomfrey. "Nothing to worry, you're having a surprisingly speedy recovery." Rose nods. "You have a few guests."

Rose adjusted herself upright before looking at her visitors. She saw the trio smiling at her, she smiled in return.

"You gave us a fright Rose," Hermione huffed.

" _Sorry,"_ she mouthed.

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked. She gave him a thumbs up in response.

They all sat down on her bed and spoke about what she had missed out on, even the whole "bewitching broomstick" incident during the Quidditch game. They even asked her about Nicolas Flamel for which she just shrugged her shoulders. Hermione found it quite peculiar on how Rose became fidgety right after being asked that question.

Right after the trio left, she notices a note beside her. She opens it.

I'm glad you are well.

She smiled.

For the remainder of the week, Prissy was by her side keeping her company. Rose was dosed up on sweets and pumpkin pasties during her time in the Hospital Wing. It's bad to waste food, especially when it's given to you as a gift. Hermione passed on work she needed to catch up on, given she was running on sugar, she caught up in no time. Only thing was, she lacked sleep.

She went back to class like nothing had happened. Many students wanted to know her, which made Rose all the more overwhelmed. Mixed emotions in all honesty. She was never really alone, her popularity grew so much that she was either hiding in the common room, the library or in Hagrid's hut.

Slytherins were still being sour after their loss, taking it out on Rose when there was an opening. She didn't mind, everything around her was changing, so why not the hate? Though in Potions, Snape wouldn't hear of such insults. He even threatened to take points from his own house. It was at that moment everyone knew Snape was treating her like a Slytherin, but why?

Before you know it, it was December, holidays were practically here. Snow was covering the grounds, what's not to love?

Harry and Ron were in the middle of Wizards chess at the Great Hall when Hermione approached them.

"I see you've packed," Ron gestured to Hermione's cart behind her.

"See you haven't," she stated.

"Change of plans, parents decided to go to Romania to visit my brother, Charlie. He's studying dragons there!"

"Good. You can help Harry, then. He's going to go to the library for information on Nicolas Flamel."

He scoffs, "We've looked a hundred times! We even made Rose look for information whenever she's hiding there!"

"Not in the restricted section," she said ignoring the last comment, "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas," the boys muttered as she left.

"I think we've had a bad influence on her," Harry nodded as he made his next move.

Rose was heading to the Great Hall when Malfoy and his snakes showed up.

"If it isn't the baby Gryffindor all alone," Malfoy said, she was surprised by that. It was a compliment compared to his usual name calling. Were the holidays making him nice or did he finally accept her as a Gryffindor?

"Staying at Hogwarts on the holidays? Your family doesn't even want you, not even a house," Parkinson said in her usual snarky tone.

"Just a pity case," Malfoy said. So much for being nice.

"No wonder Gryffindor had to take you in. They are known for being 'brave,' I kind of feel sorry for them, they probably couldn't do as worse as you." Parkinson found satisfaction in what she said as everyone laughed. Rose balled up her fist before she could think of anything, there was a loud growl from behind her. Prissy was growling and started barking at the snakes, making them run off. Surprisingly Prissy followed.

" _Maybe she doesn't like people talking badly about Gryffindor."_

Rose did some deep breathing before continuing to the Great Hall.

" _I am here because Hogwarts is my home."_

She sees Hermione and engulfs her in a hug causing her to giggle.

"It's going to be weird without you, but I'll definitely write to you." Rose nods. "Happy Christmas and keep an eye on the boys," they smiled and parted ways.

Holidays started, Harry, Ron and Rose had the common room basically to themselves. Rose had her dorm room to herself, she was loving it, but was mainly by the fireplace. Whenever the boys got bored, they'd brainstorm ways to expel Malfoy which Rose silently giggled at.

Finally, it was Christmas. Something Rose was bittersweet about, but she knew she'd like the day nonetheless. Rose and Ron were already downstairs and opened up their presents. No one said they had to wait for friends before opening their own gifts.

"Harry is taking his time, isn't he?" Rose nodded, petting Priscilla, who was busy purring on her lap. "Harry, wake up! Come on arry, wake up!"bgbhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Harry, wake up!"

Within a minute, Harry was downstairs, smiling away.

"Happy Christmas, Harry," Ron said with Rose by his side, smiling.

"Happy Christmas, Ron, Rose. What are you wearing?" He said, slowing descending the stairs.

"It's a Weasley sweater. Mum makes it for us every year and mine's always maroon. Rose got one too." She gestured to herself, wearing a green sweater with an 'R' on it. "Oh looks like you've got one too!"

"I've got presents?"

"Yeah!" With that, Harry sped towards the tree looking for his presents.

Rose and Hermione couldn't figure out what to get the boys, so they decided to give them candy. Hermione kept muttering about how her parents were going to lecture them on having too many sweets.

Rose also got sweets a gift. Out of the presents she received, the only one that stood out the most was an enchanted cloak. A cloak that would always be the temperature you want it to be. Meaning it could turn from being an air conditioner to a heater. She was a sucker for warmth, how could she not love it?

She reopened the note she got with the cloak.

I know the fireplace is your favourite spot, but it's nice to keep warm on the go.

She was going to take this everywhere!

"It'll be harder to find you with that now," Ron muttered. Harry laughed, while Rose rolled her eyes.

Harry picked up a silver wrapped present and opens the card that was taped to it. "Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well." He unwrapped the present to reveal a cloak. "It's some kind of . . . cloak."

"Like Rose's?"

"Possibly"

"Well, let's see then. Put it on." Harry did as requested. He puts the cloak on, making all of him disappear except his head.

"Whoa!" Ron exclaims. Rose's mouth just hung open in amazement.

"I know what that is, that's an invisibility cloak!" Rose nodded.

"I'm invisible?"

"They're really rare. I wonder who gave it to you." Ron said, admiring the cloak as Harry took it off.

"Who gave what to who?" Fred said as the twins came into the common room.

"Uh um," Ron stammered while Harry stuffed the cloak quickly in the sofa, out of sight. Rose sighed and lifted her cloak to bring the twin's attention to her.

"Nice cloak Rose," George said as they walked to her.

"Something to grow into," Fred said as he took the cloak from her grasp. They then noticed what Harry and Rose were wearing.

"Look at you, both in a Weasley sweater too!"

"Theirs is better than ours, though" Fred observes. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."

Rose took her cloak back and went to the sofa to snuggle.

" _Utter bliss,"_ she closed her eyes.

The Weasley brothers were having another conversation regarding sweaters and Christmas, probably to do with Percy.

"Rose, you got another present…I think." She opened her eyes and looked at what Harry had in his hands. It was a jar with yellow lollies. She tilted her head and took the jar.

" _Thank you,"_ she mouthed to him.

"You're welcome."

She opened to the jar where there was a note placed flat on top of the lollies.

Happy Christmas Rose.

Hope your holidays are delightful.

I heard lemon drops are good for the throat.

\- D

" _Lemon drop huh."_

Christmas dinner was something she would never forget. The decoration, the atmosphere, but most of all, the company.

The holiday was fun for both, Harry and Rose. Hanging with the Weasleys' was an experience they could never forget.

On a failed attempt at going through the Restricted Section, the night didn't end up being a failure for Harry as he discovered the Mirror of Erised.

He was his parents.

Every night Harry would use his invisibility cloak to travel to the empty room where the Mirror stood. He would sit in front of the mirror admiring his parents, yearning to know them. He may have shared this secret with Ron, but he didn't share it with Rose. He wanted to tell her but she was either with the Weasleys or in her room studying. Since she gotten that cloak for Christmas, she hasn't been by the fireplace at night. As it became his usual nightly routine, he decided to tell Rose after the holidays since the mirror wasn't going anywhere.

While Harry would visit the mirror every night, Rose would end up standing at the edge of the Dark Forest, just gazing into the unknown. Every night, Hagrid would find her and take her to Professor McGonagall, who would take her to her dorm room.

It was always this of the year where she wondered about her life. About everything that had happened and everything that can happen.

Another night, Harry once again sat in front of the mirror seeing his smiling parents.

"Back again, Harry?" Harry turned towards the voice and stood up, seeing Professor Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled, "I see you discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised, like many before you. I expect you realise by now what it does?"

Harry shook his head.

"Let me give you a clue. The happiest man on Earth would look into the mirror and see only himself, exactly as he is."

"It shows us what we want…Whatever we want," Harry said in thought.

"Yes and no. The mirror shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. But remember this, Harry. This mirror gives us neither knowledge or truth, which is why tomorrow it will be moved to a new home.

"Moved?"

"Yes, and I must ask you not to go looking for it again." Harry nodded. "I know you won't tell your friends of this discovery but I must ask you to not mention this mirror to Rose or where you found it. You must tell young Ron too. She must not know of this Harry." Harry was quite taken aback, why was it so important to not tell Rose?

"Do I have your word?"

"Y-yes sir."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

For the rest of the Christmas holidays, things were quite mellow for Harry. As he folded his invisibility cloak to place in his trunk, he did wonder why Professor Dumbledore asked him not to tell Rose about the mirror. Would she have sat there like himself? Was the mirror because she's been sneaking away? Too many thoughts were crossing his mind, his nightmares of his parents disappearing in a flash of green light, wondering why Professor Dumbledore made him give his word and hiding a secret from Rose. That thought most of all, made him feel uncomfortable.

Though Ron found it no problem to hide it. Hermione, however, didn't. Hermione was greeted by the boys at her time of arrival back to Hogwarts before Rose could to explain everything. Hermione being Hermione wasn't impressed. Sneaking out at night, hiding it from Rose and most at all, not finding out who Nicolas Flamel was.

So much for asking Rose to keep an eye on the boys.

Hermione practically lectured both of them on their way back to the Gryffindor tower. As they got to the common room, Hermione was engulfed in a hug.

"Good to see you too, Rose. Oh! I got you something, just hold on." Rose tilted her head as she watched Hermione taking her things upstairs. Rose looked at the boys, why just shrugged their shoulders. Within a couple of minutes, Hermione came downstairs holding something in her hand.

"What you got there, Hermione?" Ron said, looking at the package in her hand.

"Belated Happy Christmas, Rose," giving her a red and green striped present, answering Ron's question.

" _Thank you,"_ Rose mouthed, she wasn't expecting a gift. She admired the wrapping before tearing it.

"I would've sent this through Howler but given the whole broomstick incident, I wasn't going to do that."

"Good choice," Ron said, while Harry and Rose nodded.

"This beats using any more of your parchment and you can wear it too!" Hermione gestured to the string.

Rose got a piece of chalk and started writing.

"I love it! Thank you!" She smiled.

"I'm glad," Hermione huffed in relief.

"A mini blackboard on the go. Nice job Hermione," Harry said.

"Thank you, but you'll have to thank my parents for giving me the idea, they helped me get it too."

" _I'll thank them when I meet them,"_ Rose wrote.

"Meet them?" Ron asked.

"We planned to sleep over in the future," Hermione while Rose nodded.

Rose internally squealed, she felt happy that she could express herself more now.

Once the new term started, things become busy for the four. Every break they got, they were in the library looking for any information in Nicolas Flamel. They were losing motivation slowly as every day went. Harry barely looked at the books as he had to keep up with studies and most of all, Quidditch practice. Rose helped as much as she could, but she couldn't take the stress away from him. That, Harry had to do on his own.

Other than keeping up with class work, Harry's stress mainly with Quidditch. Wood was pushing the team during training. Despite the rainy weather, he pushed them like any other day.

There was a lot riding on the next game, which was against Hufflepuff. If they win the next game, it means they would overtake Slytherin in the house championship, it hasn't happened in seven years. Wood was eager to change that, so was Harry. Not everyone was thrilled with the hard training, especially the twins, thinking Wood's becoming a fanatic. Rose just did what she was told in training. Wood was training her in all the teams' position, including his. He didn't see her performance, but he did hear how she played. She was definitely a wildcard, if anyone were to fall sick, Rose will play. It may seem like a lot of pressure for a little but she was just as keen on winning the house championship like him.

Another practice, another moment where the Weasley twins fool around.

"Will you two stop messing around?!" Wood yelled at them. "This is exactly the sort of thing that will make us lose against Hufflepuff!"

"Relax, it's not like Snape's refereeing," Fred said as the twins pretended to fall off their broom yet again. Rose whistled as she wiggles her eyebrows at them.

"What…" George said as he fell off his broom from Rose's response.

Wood stressed out his issues to Rose just before practice, so she knew that Snape was refereeing. She just didn't think Fred would guess it.

"He'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!" Wood said to the mud-covered Weasley.

"Snape's refereeing?" George said, wiping the mud off his robe. "He's not going to be fair especially with the potential of us overtaking Slytherin…Has she even refereed a Quidditch match before?"

The team started complaining, did they even stand a chance with Snape?

"I can't do anything about it," Wood said. "Right now, we've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape doesn't get an excuse to pick on us."

"Maybe we should let Rose play this game then," Fred said.

"Snape might go easy on us," George said, agreeing with his brother. Rose huffed in annoyance. Majority of Gryffindor came to know of Snape's behaviour towards her.

"She's a reserve player. Unless you break a bone, she won't be playing," Wood stated. And that was that. The rest of practice continued as expected. Though Harry seemed a bit pale compared to usual if that was even possible.

At the end of practice, Rose decided to walk with Harry back to the common room. The duo saw Ron and Hermione playing chess. It was the only thing Hermione ever lost at. Rose never played much of chess, but the boys agreed with her when she stated chess was Hermione's weakness.

They both sat next to them, "Don't talk to me for a moment," Ron said.

" _It's not like I can."_

He caught sight of Harry's face. "What's the matter with you? You look terrible."

"Long story short, Snape is refereeing the next match," she wrote.

"You've got to be kidding me," Ron said.

"Wish we were," said Harry, looking pale.

"Don't play," Hermione said.

"Say you're ill," Ron offered.

"Uh, pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested.

"Really break your leg," Ron stated.

 **WHACK!**

"Ouch! Rose," Ron said.

Rose glared at him.

"I can't," Harry said. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all."

"No reserve Seeker huh," Ron said. Both Hermione and Ron looked at Rose, who knew what they were thinking.

Before they could say anything, Neville hopped into the common room. He toppled which caused everyone there to laugh except for Hermione and Rose. It was easy to recognize that the leg-breaker curse was the cause of it. Rose rushed and helped Neville up where Hermione performed the counter curse.

"What happened?" Hermione Asked as Neville's leg sprung apart.

"Malfoy," Neville said. "He was looking for someone to practice that on."

"Report him! Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione said.

He shook his head, "I don't want more trouble."

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville" Ron said.

Rose zoned out. She knew that Malfoy targeted many students, but she never wondered how the others reacted to what they snakes did to them. Not everyone had the same mindset as her. She never thought herself as a victim, but many probably did.

" _You need to believe you will always have support."_

"The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin," Harry said, Neville smile.

"Thanks, Harry," said Neville as he unwrapped the chocolate frog Harry gave him. "Do you want the card?" He Harry the card before heading to the boys' dormitories.

" _Hope Neville feels better."_

Priscilla came and started purring by Rose's feet. She carried her and started petting her.

She saw Harry gasp.

" _Got a card to add to his collection?"_

"I've found Flamel!" Harry whispered cried.

They read the information on the back of the card. At that, Hermione got to her feet. "Stay here!" She dashed to the girls' dormitories. The three of them are left clueless.

She returns with an enormous old book in her arms.

" _Is that how I look when I carry my school books?"_ she asks herself.

"I had us looking in the wrong section! How could I be so stupid? I checked this out a few weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"This is light?" Ron said, partially scared to find out what 'proper' reading is.

She glares at him. "I'm surprised you didn't find this Rose," Hermione said, opening the book. "I lent you this book a while ago."

"It's too heavy for my scrawny arms," she wrote.

"The what?" Harry and Ron say blankly at her.

"Honestly, don't you two read?" Look, ready that there," Hermione pointed to a section of the book.

The Philosopher's Stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers. It will turn any metal into pure gold and produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinking immortal.

"Immortal?" said Ron.

"It means you'll never die," Hermione stats.

"I know what it means!" Ron exclaims.

"Shh," Harry said as they continued to read.

The only stone currently in existence belongs to Mr Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist, who last year celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday.

"That's what Fluffy's guarding on the 3rd floor. That's what under the trap door…the Philosopher's stone!"

"Fluffy? Trapdoor?" Rose wrote, placing her blackboard on top of the book.

The trio looked at one another. They didn't tell Rose of the night they encountered Fluffy. They didn't even tell her they found out the three-headed dog's name was Fluffy from Hagrid. They also were hiding the fact Harry visited the mirror of Erised. What more were they going to hide from her?

"Uh, Rose, there are some things we've been meaning to tell you," Hermione said. The trio then explained trap door, fluffy, Snape and how they all connect to the stone.

Things got awkward between Rose and the trio. She wasn't mad that they hid those things from her, she just wasn't sure why they did in the first place.

The rest of the night was in silence.

The next morning in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Rose concentrated on copying down the different ways of treating werewolf bites. She knew all the ways of treating those bites, but she needed a distraction so she wouldn't eavesdrop on the trio.

The boys were talking about the upcoming match while Hermione listened in. At the end of the lesson, Harry told Rose he'd be playing the match. Rose unknowingly sighed in relief.

As days get closer to the match, Harry became more nervous. He wasn't the only one though, the whole team was. A lot was riding on Gryffindor winning the game, how could they not be nervous?

Finally, the time for the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff is finally here. Though Rose wasn't playing this match, she was in the locker room, hearing Wood's speech.

"The whole school's out there!" Fred said, peering out the door. "Blimey – Dumbledore's come to watch!" Everyone rushed to see if it was true.

It was.

Harry's heart skipped a beat. Rose could feel his anxiety all around. Though soon he was feeling relief because he knew Snape wouldn't do anything if Dumbledore was watching.

"Good luck!" Rose wrote. They smiled at her before they left the locker room. Rose watched by the door as the team flew off.

The game for Gryffindor didn't start on a good note as Snape gave Hufflepuff a penalty because George hit a bludger his way.

Rose noticed Professor Snape looking more stern than usual. Was he angry?

" _He probably can tell Gryffindor will win…Evidently."_

Suddenly she saw Harry passed by Snape, mere inches between them, diving. He pulled back up with his hand in the air, holding the golden Snitch.

"He did it! In record time for sure!"

Everything was like a rush of adrenaline. Congratulating Harry, watching people surround him from afar. Rose stayed in the locker room, she decided to hang with the twins.

"We need a party to celebrate," Fred said as they closed their locker doors.

"Better get food," George said.

"And lots of it," they said unison.

"To the kitchen, then?" Rose wrote.

"Brilliant idea!" They said.

"I feel like we're being a bad influence on you, Rose," Fred said.

"Just the right amount," she wrote. The twins laughed while she silently giggled.

She held onto Fred's robe as they made their way to the kitchen, passing by some Hufflepuffs on the way there. They stopped in front of a painting of a bowl of fruit. Rose tickled a pear, it laughed and squirmed before transforming into a green doorknob.

Fred turned the doorknob and walked into the kitchen. "Didn't know you've been here, Rose," he said as George and Rose followed behind him.

"I study better with food nearby, I usually stock up." The boys nodded.

"We better not take too long, grab what you can," George said. The twins and Rose got a basket and filled it up with cakes and sweets. Once they arrived back to the Gryffindor common room, the party began.

As days went by, Hermione began to stress on exams. Stressing so much she was making Rose test her every night. The boys thought nothing of it as the exams were ten weeks away. Easter break didn't help ease Hermione as teachers gave them piles of homework. It was a good thing Rose started studying during Christmas. As the trio studied in the library, Rose was sleeping.

"Shouldn't we wake her?" Harry asked.

"Let her rest," said Hermione as she looks through her notes. "Rose studies at night, something about waking in cold chills. She usually sleeps better after she's drained."

"She doesn't sleep at night?" said Harry, surprised.

"It's been happening since the beginning of the school year."

" _Maybe it's because of the mirror,"_ he thinks.

After many days of studying, the trio decided to visit Hagrid. They didn't tell Rose about it and decided to leave Rose to her studying.

The trio sneaked to Hagrid's hut later that night. They knocked on the door. "Hagrid!" Harry yells.

Hagrid opened the door, wearing an apron and oven mitts, quite the look. "Oh, hello. Sorry, don' wish ter be rude, but I'm in no fit state ter entertain today'," he says as he closes the door.

"We know about the Philosopher's Stone!" The trio shout.

He reopens the door, "Oh." Prissy walked by his side, wagging her tail.

"Oh god, not the wolf," Ron grunts, almost in despair. He liked to have a large distance between himself and the wolf. Hagrid's hut did not provide such distance.

"She's friendly, aren't you Prissy?" Hermione said as she patted Prissy's head on the way in.

Prissy stayed between Harry and Hermione, while Ron sat near Fang on the far side of the hut.

"Snape is one o' the teachers protectin' the stone!" Hagrid said, "He's not abou' ter steal it!"

"What," Harry said surprised.

"Yer heard. Right. Come on, now, I'm a bit preoccupied"

"Wait a minute," Harry said. "One of the teachers?"

"Of course!" said Hermione, like a light switched on in her mind. "There are other things defending the stone, aren't there? Spells, enchantments."

"That's righ'. Waste of bloody time if you ask me. Ain' no one gonna get past Fluffy," he chuckled. "Not a soul knows how. Except for me and Dumbledore." Prissy whined at those words.

"Shouldn't've said that, shouldn't've said that."

Suddenly, the cauldron over the fire rattles.

"Oh!" Hagrid gets up and takes something from the cauldron. "Ooh! Ooh!" He juggled it with both hands till he reaches the table. Clearly, the oven mitts couldn't take the heat.

Everyone crowds around the table.

"Uh, Hagrid. What exactly is that?" Harry asked.

"That? Well, it's a…it's um..."

"I know what that is!" Ron exclaimed. "But Hagrid, how did you get one?"

"I won it," he said happily. "Off a stranger, I met down at a pub. Seemed quite glad ter be rid of it, as a matter fact."

Prissy started barking. The eggs stats to rattle for a couple of seconds before cracking. Eggshell pieces flu off as a baby dragon came into view. It squeaks getting out of the egg, slipping on one of the egg shell pieces."

"Is that…a dragon?" Hermione asks.

"That's not just a dragon. That's a Norwegian Ridgeback! My brother Charlie works with these in Romania," Ron explained.

"Isn't he beautiful," Hagrid said. "Oh, bless him, look. He knows his mummy!" He chuckles. "'Ello, Norbert." The dragon squeaks at him.

"Norbert?" Harr questions.

"Well, he's got to have a name, don' he?" Ron and Hermione quietly giggled. "Don' yer, Norbert?" Hagrid tickles Norbert's chin. Norbert must be ticklish because he moved away from Hagrid's fingers and hiccupped, spitting out a fireball into Hagrid's beard.

"Ohh! Ooh, ooh!" Hagrid pats his beard. Prissy barks at the window. "Who's that?" Everyone looks at the windows to see the person scatter away.

"Malfoy," Harry says.

"Oh, dear."

The trip says goodbyes to Hagrid and went back to their dormitories' with Prissy right on their tail. The trio were discussing Malfoy, the dragon and how Ron might contact his brother, Charlie until they abruptly stopped causing Prissy to bump her nuzzle at the back of Harry's leg. Before she could move to see why they stopped, she heard a voice.

"Good evening," McGonagall said with Malfoy beside her, smiling smugly.

The trio stood in front of McGonagall's desk in silence. Malfoy was a few feet away smiling while Prissy was by McGonagall's side with her head down.

"Nothing, I repeat, nothing gives a student the right to walk about the school at night," McGonagall said sternly. "Therefore, as punishment for your actions, fifty points will be taken."

"Fifty," said Harry, shocked.

"Each. And to ensure it doesn't happen again, all four of you will receive detention. Prissy will accompany you." Prissy whined.

Malfoy's smile vanishes. "Excuse me, Professor. Perhaps I heard you wrong. I thought you said 'the four of us'."

"No, you heard me correctly, Mr Malfoy. You see, as honourable as your intentions were, you too were out of bed after hours. You will serve detention with your classmates."

Malfoy sat down in defeat while the trio grin.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

It didn't dawn on the trio that they ruined any chance Gryffindor had had on winning the House cup. Realization hit them when they saw Rose in the common room. The trio left her in the dark once again, none of them had the guts to tell her. She didn't look at the trio when they entered. She gave them a distant nod before getting comfortable on the sofa. Heading to the staircase, they could hear her huffing for air with a lonely look plastered on her face. She seemed almost out of breath, did she wake up from a bad dream? Rose wasn't a girl who would talk about her feelings, her go-to response being 'I'm okay' with a bright smile was what made everyone think she was okay.

Deep down was she really okay?

No one knew . . . not even herself.

Morning came about, the story got around about how the famous Harry Potter along with his best friends, lost a hundred and fifty points overnight. From being the Hero of his Quidditch matches, Harry became the most hated. Slytherins were thanking him while the other houses, including his own, couldn't even look at him. Everyone was looking forward to seeing the House cup being taken from Slytherin.

While the story circulated the school, Ron sent a letter to Charlie regarding the illegal Norbert. Unknowing to Ron, Professor Dumbledore had already contacted Charlie Weasley about the concerning matter.

It was decided that Norbert would be sent to Romania.

Rose was unaware of the story circulating but she found it odd her teammates were calling Harry 'the Seeker' during practice.

She whistled to get the twins' attention.

"Don't tell me you don't know Rose," Fred mocked. Rose could only tilt her head at his accusation.

"She doesn't know," George said shocked.

" _What did I miss now?"_

"Last night Harry, Hermione and Ron snuck out-"

"And got caught-"

"Fifty points each, totally to-"

"A hundred and fifty points lost overnight." Rose had gotten used to the twin's way of explanation. She found it rather joyful, her eyes did not.

"I'm surprised you weren't with them, Rose."

"I'm more surprised you didn't know about this Rose," George said before his brother and he went back to concentrating on practice, leaving Rose to her thoughts.

" _Sneaking at night, maybe they didn't tell me because I was in the dormitory or…is it because I can't talk?"_

"Rose! Pay attention!" Wood shouted, stopping Rose from thinking any further. She never got to process what she thought.

Rose wasn't able to communicate to Harry much given she couldn't carry her blackboard around when flying.

But even if she would talk, what would she say?

Rose noticed Hermione being quiet in class, something that made Rose feel out of place.

Harry, Ron and Hermione kept to themselves studying for the upcoming exams. Rose joined them, it wasn't as pleasant as she thought it'd be.

" _I'd prefer if it was just me who's quiet."_

Then again, remembering ingredients to complicated potions and memorizing dates of magical discoveries wasn't anyone's cup of studying.

Days later, notes were delivered to the trio during breakfast regarding their detention.

The day went by fast and now they were currently following Filch outside. It didn't take the trio long to figure out they were serving detention with Hagrid. It wouldn't be so bad. But then again, Malfoy was with them.

"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again…If you ask me, hard work and pain are the best teachers. A pity they let the old punishments die out…hang you by your thumbs in the dungeons. God, I miss the screams." You could hear Malfoy's gulp a mile away. "Right, you'll be serving detention with Hagrid tonight. He's got a little job to do inside the dark forest." Filch stops walking as he sees Hagrid with a crossbow, sniffling. "Oh, good, God, you're not still on about that bloody dragon, are you?

"Norbert's gone." He said sniffling. "Dumbledore sent him to Romania to live in a colony."

"Well, that's good, isn't it? He'll be with his own kind." Hermione said, trying to sound uplifting.

"Yeh, but what if he don' like Romania? Wha' if the other dragons are mean ter him? He's only a baby, after all."

Filch rolls his eyes, "Oh for God's sake, pull yourself together, man. You're going into the forest, after all."

"The forest!" Malfoy said alarmed. "I thought that was a joke! We can't go in there. Students aren't allowed! And there are-" A distant howl disrupted his speech, "Werewolves!" He remarks. Suddenly, he felt a cold air on his neck, "AHHH!" He moved away, ending up near Filch. Realizing what he did, he moved away from Filch making him stumble onto the ground.

Everyone laughed, Malfoy shot up, covering his beck with his hand, "Who did that?" She whistled, making herself known. While the others were focused on Hagrid, they didn't notice Rose creep up to Malfoy, who blew on his neck. "Baby Gryffindor? What are you doing here?" To others, that nickname would seem odd, but it's a name Rose has gotten used to. For some reason, Malfoy stuck with it, not that she minded. No one knew what his group was saying to her, but it did make them seem close given the name wasn't insulting.

"Well," Hagrid coughs, "Professor McGonagall brought her here, somethin' about always sleepin' in the library." Rose sheepishly nods as she holds onto his coat. "Righ'. Let's go!"

No one questioned it as sleeping in the library was what Rose is known for, but Hermione found it off. _"Wasn't Prissy meant to be here?"_

The students stayed with Hagrid as Filch walked off. Hagrid walked through the forest with Rose by his side, the other four students behind them.

They walked along a path until Rose stopped and whistled for attention. She points at a puddle of silver fluid which Hagrid takes and smears it with his fingers.

Harry peered around, "Hagrid, what's that?"

"What we're here fer. See tha'?" He shows them the silver fluid. "That's unicorn's blood, I found one dead a few weeks ago. Now, this one's bin injured badly by somethin'. So it's our job to find the poor beast. Ron, Hermione, you'll come with me."

"Okay," Ron whispered, walking to Hagrid as Hermione followed.

"And Harry you'll go with Rose and Malfoy."

The duo nods while Malfoy grimaces. "Okay, then I get Fang!"

"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a bloody coward," Fang whines. "Prissy would've been a better option if she were here."

They parted ways and went to their designated group. The forest was dark and quiet. Rose took lead and the boys followed behind. Even though Draco was holding the lantern behind her, she could see as if it were daytime.

They were heading to the heart of the forest, Rose seemed to be on something but they couldn't tell what. It didn't help that she left her blackboard wither books.

"You wait till my father hears about this. This is servant's stuff!" Rose rolled her eyes.

Harry smirked, "If I didn't know better, Draco, I'd say you were scared."

"Me? Scared, Potter?" He scoffs. A howl was heard from afar which made Rose slow down her pace. "Did you hear that? Come on, Fang." He pulls the leash and walks faster. They keep walking until Rose stops walking into a clearing. Fang stand by Rose and starts growling.

"What is it, Fang?" Harry asks as he stands next to Rose. He looks at the direction Rose is staring at.

A cloaked figure is crouched over a dead unicorn. A beautiful creature, the light from the moon, showing all the features. The figure drinking its' blood raises its head with unicorn blood dripping from its mouth.

Straight away, Harry gasped, feeling pain on his forehead as if his scar was on fire.

"Ahhh!" Draco ran in pure fear with Fang on his tail.

The cloaked figure advances towards Harry. Harry, caught up with his burning scar, staggers backwards and falls. As the figure gets closer, Rose blocks its way.

"Get away Rose!" Rose stands her ground making a sounds almost like growling.

Suddenly there is a sound of Hooves, a figure leaps over the duo, landing between them and the hooded figure. The cloaked figure retreats, flying away.

The leaping figure was no other than a centaur. After a moment, the centaur turned and looked at Rose, who seemed calm.

"I thought Bane and Ronan were joking. Rose, what are you doing here?" Rose smiles in response. "The woods are not safe, Rose. How many times do we have to take you back to Hagrid?" Rose moved aside before the centaur could tell her off any longer, to reveal her friend, who was still on the ground.

"Harry Potter, you must leave. You are known to many creatures here. The forest is not safe at the time. Especially for you."

Rose gives Harry a hand and he gets up. "Thanks," he gestures to Rose before looking at the centaur. "What was that thing you saved us from?"

"A monstrous creature. It is a terrible crime to slay a unicorn. Drinking the blood of a unicorn will keep you alive even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenceless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life. A cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."

"But who would choose such a life?"

"Can you think of no one?"

"Do you mean to say…that thing that killed the unicorn, which was drinking its blood . . . that was Voldemort?"

"Do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

"The Philosopher's stone."

Dog barks were heard. Soon Fang came with Hagrid and the rest of them right behind.

"Harry! Rose!" Hermione exclaims.

"'Ello there, Firenze. I see yer've met our young Mr Potter, you all right there, Harry?" He nods before looking at Firenze.

"Harry Potter, this is where I leave you. You're safe now. Good luck. Rose, I hope to not see you again anytime soon." Rose pouts as Firenze galloped away.

" _What did he mean?"_ Harry thought as he looked at Rose.

Detention was over and the four of them say by the fireplace in the common room.

"You mean, You-Know-Who's out there right now in the forest?" Rose could feel the hair on her arms stand up at Hermione's words.

"But he's weak," doing his best to not make it sound like it's a serious matter. He's living off the unicorns. Don't you see? We had it wrong. Snape doesn't want the stone for himself, he wants the stone for Voldemort," hair from Rose's neck stood up at the name, his name. "With the Elixir of Life, Voldemort will be strong again. He'll…he'll come back."

" _I dislike that name very much."_

Ron gulped. "And to think, I've been worrying about my Potions final!"

Rose noticed Hermione deep in thought, she patted her shoulder. Hermione gave a quick smile, "We're forgetting one thing." They all looked at her. "Who's the one wizard Voldemort always feared?"

Rose clicked her fingers at Hermione, as a light bulb lit in her head.

" _Of course!"_

The boys just shrugged.

" _Honesty."_ Rose sighed, she whistled for attention. She made a triangle with her hands above her head before moving her hand around her chin, like she was stroking something they couldn't see. Hermione smirked, knowing what Rose was doing.

Harry was the first to take a guess, "D-Dumbledore?" Rose nodded.

"As long as Dumbledore's around, you can't be touched." Harry smiled a little at her words.

End of year exams was finally over. Rose and Hermione didn't worry about their results compared to the boys. Though Rose was concerned with one of her practical exams, Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall, it seems the Professor was expecting a lot from her, but she did her best turning a mouse into a pretty snuffbox.

The trio were walking through the courtyard when Harry's scar started to burn.

"It's happened before," Hermione observes.

"Not like this."

"Perhaps you should see Madam Pomfrey," Ron stated.

"I think it's a warning. It means danger's coming…Uhh!" he starts to rub his scar until someone catches his eye. "Oh, of course!" Harry takes off with Hermione and Ron behind him.

"What is it?" Hermione asks.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd that what Hagrid wants more than anything is a dragon, and a stranger shows up and just happens to have one?" They reach Hagrid's hut, seeing him playing the flute.

"I mean, how many people wander around with a dragon egg in their pocket? Why didn't I see it before?" They stood in front of Hagrid. "Hagrid, who gave you the dragon egg? What did he look like?"

He stopped playing to answer. "I don't know. I never saw his face. He kept his hood up."

"But you both must have talked."

"Well, he wanted to know what sort of creatures I looked after. Rose asked me the same question."

"Rose did?" Hermione interrupted.

"Did he seem interested in Fluffy?" said Harry, staying on topic.

"Well, of course, he was interested in Fluffy! Ow often do yeh come across a three-headeed dog?

How often do yeh come across a three-headed dog? But I told him. 'The trick with any beast is to know how to calm him, Take Fluffy for example, just play him a bit of music and he falls straight to sleep."

The trio gasp.

"I should'n'ta told yeh that. Forget I said it! Hey – Where're yeh goin'?" The trio took off, leaving a flustered Hagrid behind.

The trio dash off to Professor McGonagall's classroom, passing by ghosts to get to her desk.

"We have to see Professor Dumbledore, immediately!" Harry said, huffing air.

"I'm afraid Professor Dumbledore is not here. He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and left immediately for London."

"He's gone? Now? But this is important! It about. . ." He hesitated, "the Philosopher stone!"

"How did you know?" She said shocked. "Did Rose tell you?"

"Rose? She didn't Professor, I think I know – that Sn—that someone's going to try and steal the stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore."

McGonagall eyes him with both shock and suspicion. "Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow." She said finally. "If Rose didn't tell you about the stone, I don't know how you three found out about it, but rest assured, it is perfectly well-protected. Now would you go back to your dormitories? Quietly." She waited for them to leave before continuing with her work.

After leaving the classroom the trio did have a slight confrontation with Professor Snape.

Hermione and Ron were getting worried.

"What do we do?" Hermione asks.

"We go down the trapdoor. Tonight." Harry replied as they made their way to the Gryffindor common room.

There, they see Rose reading a book.

Hermione walks to her. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to find a spell to put Fluffy to sleep." She wrote.

"Those type of spells are too advance for first years," she pointed out.

Rise sighed and closed the book. "Last resort," she wrote while holding a flute. The trio grinned.

Night-time soon arrived, the four of them, descending the stairs. They walked across the floor until they heard croaking.

Harry looked around until he spotted a frog. "Trevor."

"Trevor shh!" Ron whisper-yelled, "Go, you shouldn't be here!"

"Neither should you," Neville said turning his chair. "You're sneaking out again, aren't you?"

"Now Neville, listen. We were-"

"No!" He interrupted Harry. He stood up to face them, "You'll get Gryffindor in trouble again! I'll fight you." He clenched his hands into fists, getting into a boxing stance.

"Neville," Hermione said, standing beside Harry. "I'm really, really sorry about this." She takes out her wand. "Petrificus Totalis!" pointing it at Neville. His arms snapped to his sides as his legs closed together making him fall back.

"What did you do to him?" Harry whispered.

"It's the full body-bind."

Ron gulped, "You're a little scary sometimes…you know that? Brilliant, but scary."

They turned and looked at Rose.

" _What now?"_

"You need to stay back," Hermione said quickly.

"My cloak can't fit all of us and I won't risk you getting in trouble," Harry said. They all looked at her, waiting for her reaction.

She nodded.

"Thank you," said Harry.

"It's for your own good, you know," Ron said before leaving.

Was she going to listen to them and stay behind?

No.

Three students under one invisibility cloak wasn't as easy as the first-years thought. Stepping on each other's foot was the least of their problems. Though their journey to the trapdoor was eventful, Harry pretending to be Bloody Baron, scaring Peeves away. They couldn't afford getting caught, they didn't know the school like the back of their hand yet.

It was Hermione's turn to play the flute, Harry and Ron went down the trapdoor, now all who was left was Hermione. The harp stopped playing the moment the trip opened the door, they were lucky they had a flute to put Fluffy to sleep.

Hermione knew there was a small opening to get down the trapdoor and making Fluffy stay asleep. Just passing the flute to the next person woke them up. The longer she procrastinated on jumping in the trapdoor, the longer she played.

Suddenly she heard the harp being played and looked to see Rose playing it. Rose gestured with her eyes the trapdoor, Hermione took the hint, placing the flute on the floor and jumping in the trapdoor.

Rose continued to play until she saw a beam of light shoot out of the trapdoor.

" _They got through the Devil's Snare."_ She could hear their conversation.

"Whew, Lucky we didn't panic," Ron said.

"Lucky Hermione pays attention in Herbology," Harry deadpanned.

Rose rolled her eyes as she stopped playing. She quickly got to the door and turned to see Fluffy. She tilted her head at him, they copied her.

No barking.

No growling.

Just staring.

" _Huh."_

Rose closed the door behind her and slowly walked away, it wasn't easy, but Rose finally made it to the Owlery. Avoiding Peeves and Mrs Norris was more difficult than expected.

She looked around and saw owls all around. Given that owls don't know how to open doors, none of the windows had glass, making the place rather cold. Owls had feathers to cover themselves from the draft, but Rose didn't. She would've taken her cloak but given her being short for it, she wasn't going to let it drag owl droppings, something that covered the majority of the floor along with rodent skeletons . . . how comforting.

It didn't take her long to find her owl. Just look at the one hooting at her. Howler is quite the cheeky owl, always needing food in exchange for his services, preferably toast.

" _Hope cold toast works."_

Even though Rose has had Priscilla longer then she has had Howler, their relationship was strong but peculiar.

She approached Howler and gave him the letter. She then gave him the toast which he ate. She sighed in relief but noticed he wasn't moving.

"To Dumbledore," she gestured with her hands. Howler got the message but didn't move.

Her shoulders sank, _"This is going to take longer than expected."_

Sure enough, it did.

" _For crying out oud Howler! Can you deliver the letter to Dumbledore please,"_ she growled. Howler fluttered his wings in response.

She sighed. Out of nowhere, Hedwig comes and lands on her shoulder, nuzzling her.

" _Why can't you be like Hedwig?"_

Howler flies and lands on Rose's other shoulder.

" _What am I? A tree?"_ Before long, Hedwig snatched the letter from Howler and began flying with Howler on her tail.

" _I should've just asked Hedwig."_

Heading back to the trapdoor took Rose three times as long. She felt like she was being watched but no one was there. Her nerves getting the best of her.

She dashed to the door and closed it, coming face to face with Fluffy. They did the most unexpected thing to her.

They whined.

She looked at the harp and it started playing. Fluffy slowly drifted, one head at a time.

It didn't take her long to reach the chessboard as the key were still in the keyhole and majority of the winged-keys were on the door.

As she slowly walked, she could hear chatter.

"Harry, it's you that has to go on. Not me, not me, not Hermione, you. Knight…to H-3." As Rose walked to the Chessboard she heard a crash, seeing Ron unconscious on the ground. Rose dashed towards Ron and checked his vitals.

"Don't move!" He told Hermione. "Don't forget, we're still playing." While they ended the game, Rose attended to Ron.

" _Steady pulse."_

"How is he?" she asked.

"He'll be okay," Rose wrote with her finger on the dusty ground. "Letter on the way."

"You went to the owlery?" Rose nodded.

"Take care of Ron, get help, Hermione. Rose and I will go on." The girls nodded.

"You're a great wizard, Harry and witch, Rose. Whatever is to come, you will be okay." The duo smiled and left Hermione with Ron.

Harry and Rose walked passed the inanimate chess pieces before standing in front of the door. Harry took a deep breath before pushing it. There, on the ground laid a knocked out troll, bigger than the trio battled during Halloween.

"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," he whispers while Rose nodded. She kept her nose scrunched up, the stench was powerful. She held onto Harry's sleeve as they quickly walked through to the next door, not looking back fearing it might wake up.

They closed the door and turned to see a table with different bottles, neatly placed in a line. Seven to be exact.

"Snape's . . . what do we have to do?" Rose whistles and points to a parchment. Out of the trio, Harry spoke to her as if she could verbally talk, it was refreshing.

As they approached the table, flames erupted all around them. Purple flames blocked the duo from going through the door they entered and black flames covering the door they needed to go through.

They read the paper in silence.

The seven bottles all contained something. Three were poison, two were wine, one would get you through the purple flame, and the other would get you through the black flame. The paper held hints as to which one was which. It was a puzzle…logic over magic. Something Rose knew Hermione would be good at.

Harry's face went grim, the words itself confused him. There was no way he could do it. He turned to Rose, who knew exactly what he was thinking.

Rose walked around the table, carefully looking and smelling the potions. She placed three bottles a step behind the line of bottles and placed two bottles in front.

Before Harry could ask, Rose picks up a bottle from the end of the line and brings it to her mouth.

"Rose!" She takes a sip and passes it to Harry. Harry looks at the bottle then at her, then back again before taking it. He finishes the content of the bottle, like ice flooding his body. He walks to Rose, who was standing in front of the black flames.

"You drank it so I couldn't make you go back." She whistled in response. She grabbed his robe and walked through the black flame.

It took a while before they got passed the fire. They saw a figure standing ahead, someone Harry wasn't expecting to see.

It was Quirrell.

"You?" Harry questions as Quirrell turned around smiling.

"I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter. But, I wasn't expecting you, Rose. Then again, no one expects you. You just came out of nowhere. I mean, you weren't even on the list of first years attending this year."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

"Makes me wonder if you can't really talk."

Rose remained still, she didn't respond, just stared at Quirrell.

"It can't be . . . Snape…" Harry didn't realise he muttered out loud.

"Yes, he does seem the type, doesn't he? Next to me, who would suspect, 'p-p-poor s-tuttering Professor Quirrell?'"

"But Snape tried to kill me!"

"No, dear boy. I tried to kill you! And trust me, if Snape's cloak hasn't caught fire and broken my eye contact, I would have succeeded. Even with Snape muttering his little counter-curse," Quirrell grumbled, remembering the moment at the first Quidditch match.

"Snape was trying to . . . save me?" Harry said in disbelief.

"Of course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really…he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching." He scoffs. "But I knew you a threat right from the start. Especially after Halloween."

"You let the troll in?"

"Very good Potter, yes. Snape, unfortunately, wasn't fooled. While everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape went straight to the third floor to head me off. He, of course, never trusted me again."

Harry looked at Rose, who was staring at the Mirror of Erised. She had an unreadable expression on which made him worry.

" _Maybe she should've stayed back."_ Suddenly, his scar started to hurt, he looked up, seeing Quirrell's back, facing the mirror.

"But he doesn't understand, I'm never alone. Never," he turned to face the mirror. "Now…what does this mirror do? I see what I desire. I see myself holding the stone. But how do I get it?"

"Use the boy," a raspy voice spoke, at the direction of Quirrell. It sent a cold shiver down Rose's spine.

Quirrell turned to Harry. "Potter, come here!" The boy walked shakily to the professor, leaving a distant Rose behind. "Tell me what do you see?"

" _Lie."_

That is what Harry did, he lied. Despite the mirror showing that he had the stone in his pocket, he simply said he was shaking hands with Dumbledore. Something he thought could buy him some time…if he was here . . . alone.

"Rose!" Quirrell yelled. "It's your turn." The little girl walked and stood by Harry, facing the mirror.

She just stared. Eventually, she was on the brink of tears. Harry took her hand, in a form of comfort. She squeezed his hand in return.

They shouldn't be in this sort of situation.

"Well?" He questions impatiently. "What do you see?"

"We don't see the stone!"

"He lies . . . he lies." The raspy voice said.

"Potter, tell me the truth!" Quirrell shouted. "What do you see?"

"Let me speak to him . . . face-to-face…"

"Master, you are not strong enough!"

"I have strength enough for this."

Quirrell turned, keeping his back towards the mirror, unwrapping his turban. The due squeezed each other's hand. Knowing what was to come, would not be a good thing.

They were right.

At the back of Quirrell's head was a face, they didn't expect to see. Like a snake, with slits for nostrils, poisonous red eyes, pale as ever.

"Harry Potter, we meet again."

"Voldemort."

"Yes. See what I have become? What I must do to survive…Live off another. Unicorn blood can sustain me, but it cannot give me a body of my own. But what can lies in your pocket!'

Harry runs up the stairs, Rose right behind him until Quirrell grabs her and places the tip of his wand on her throat.

"The stone Potter or she dies," Quirrell says as he keeps a tight grip on her arm.

It was as if time slowed and sound had diminished.

All Rose could see was a frightened Harry shouting. She couldn't hear anything, nor feel the wand at her throat. She didn't notice her tears rolling down her cheeks.

Suddenly, she was brought back to reality.

"Kill him!"

Rose turned swiftly and pushed Quirrell back. With immense strength that he was flown a foot off the ground.

"Did you just…" Quirrell said thinking. "Unbelievable."

"Focus!"

"Sorry Master." He steadied himself. "I will repeat what you did to me, Rose!" Quirrell pointed his wound at her, "Everte Statum!" Rose was thrown back, so far her head went into contact with the wall.

"Rose!" Harry yelled.

Her vision went blurry, her eyelids heavy . . . darkness was all there was.

Seeing Rose unconscious, sparked something in Harry.

He fought back and won, to only become unconscious like Rose.

While the duo were unconscious, Hermione explained everything to Dumbledore while Ron was by her side. The story spread about what the four had done, especially the duo.

The Quidditch game against Ravenclaw was as expected without their Seeker or reserve Seeker. Gryffindor was sad but glad their star first-years were on a solid recovery.

Rose eyes opened wide as she took in her surroundings.

" _Hospital Wing."_

She noticed flowers and sweets all around, but she failed to notice the figure beside her. Or maybe she didn't want to acknowledge them.

She sighed before turning to look at her Headmaster.

"You did your best protecting," she nods. "But you must value your life too," Dumbledore stated before sitting on her bed. She again nodded, not knowing how to react.

She noticed a sleeping Harry on the bed opposite of hers. "He'll be fine, how are you feeling?" She gave a small smile, "Good, I believe you can leave tomorrow unless Madam Pomfrey is willing to host more of your admirers." Her smile grew wider remembering how her first time here, Madam Pomfrey couldn't handle the students or the teachers.

They continued their conversation until Madam Pomfrey shooed him away. Before he left, he gave her a note. She instantly knew who it was from.

You had me worried when I found out what happened.

I admire your loyalty to your friends, but I wouldn't know what I've would've done, if fate took another turn.

Make sure you take proper rest.

Let's hope you can stay out of trouble next year.

I'm glad you are safe.

As expected Rose had a speedy recovery but Madam Pomfrey kept her in the hospital wing longer than needed. Before long, Harry woke up and was greeted by Dumbledore, just like Rose.

Rose was sleeping while Dumbledore and Harry were talking. Though, she woke up half way of their conversation. She didn't want to be rude so she pretended to be asleep, but she didn't want to get caught eavesdropping either.

Didn't help that Priscilla was pawing at her face. Her cat knew she was awake. She was wanting Rose to deal with a scratch she couldn't itch.

"Sir, there's one more thing . . . Why didn't you let me tell Rose about the mirror? The way she looked at it…"

"Rose has suffered losses at a young age, much like you. She's opened a lot after being with the three of you, not to mention the twins too. We worry if she's reminded of her past, she might close herself off to the world once again."

Rose as in deep thought, she slowly drifted back to sleep dreaming of the family she dearly missed.

Harry and Rose walking side by side, with her holding onto his sleeve. They were following Prissy, who was taking them down the corridor. She walked to a staircase and barked for attention, she alerted to other students who were on top of the staircase.

"All right there, Ron?" Harry said as he looked up at his best friends.

"All right? You?"

Harry shrugs, "All right, Hermione?"

"Never better," she smiles.

"Rose?" They say in unison. She smiles and whistles, making them all grin. Prissy barked and wagged her tail.

Finally, it was the end-of-year feast in the Great Hall. Students seated, with green and silver banners hovering above them, Slytherin colours.

McGonagall dings her glass and the chatter ends and as if on cue, Dumbledore stands.

"Another year has gone! And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully, your heads are all a little fuller than they were before, you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts…" He clears his throat, "Now, as I understand it, the house cup needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third place, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."

Cheers immediately broke out from the Slytherin table.

"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account.

The Gryffindor students look up hopeful. The hall went silent as some of the Slytherin's smiles faltered.

"I have a few last minute points to dish out. To Miss Hermione Granger, for the use of cool intellect when others were in great peril, fifty points." Everyone started to applaud. "To Mr Ronald Weasley, for the best-played game of Chess that Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points. And to Mr Harry Potter, for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points." Students were cheering. Especially Gryffindor.

"We're tied with Slytherin," Hermione exclaims.

"I would like complete silence until I've finished." As he wished silence took over the hall. Many were looking at Rose, they knew she was with Harry and what she did that night.

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies. But a great deal more to stand up to your friends. I award ten points to Neville Longbottom. Last but not least, Rose, actions speak louder than words and you did valiantly not letting yourself down and prove how to adapt, twenty points. Assuming my calculation are correct, I believe that a change of decoration is in order," He claps his hands, changing the green and silver banners to red and yellow, "Gryffindor wins the Hose Cup!"

The hall erupts in cheers, students standing and throwing their hats. Rose could still see Neville daydreaming, she looked around, seeing smiling faces. She chose to ignore sulking Slytherin and enjoyed the night.

" _What a year."_

Students were boarding the train, going back to their families.

"Come on, Harry," said Hermione, leaving the door open for him.

"One minute," said Harry walking to Hagrid.

"Thought yeh were leavin' without sayin' good-bye, didja?" Hagrid takes a red album from his coat and gives it to him. "This is for you."

They spoke some more before he goes back to his best friends. With the red album, Hagrid gave him a letter. He knew from the handwriting it was from Rose.

He was right when he thought she wouldn't be on the train back.

Rose was currently going up the staircase leading to Professor Dumbledore's office, with Prissy on her side.

 _ **Knock, Knock**_

"Come in."

"Rose opened the door and closed it behind her before walking to his desk.

"I wasn't too sure if you got my message." Said Dumbledore, putting his quill down. "I see you've had an eventful year," he said cheerfully. Rose smiled.

She approached Fawkes, Dumbledore's Phoenix, she seemed happy to see Rose too.

Dumbledore noticed Prissy licking her paws.

"She's becoming more of a cat."

"We hang out with Mrs Norris too much," she wrote on her blackboard.

"How's Filch taking it?"

"He doesn't like it, but he can't do anything about it."

They chatted . . . for a long time.

Dumbledore praised her for her grades. Hermione may have been the top of the year but Rose was a close second. Split the subjects individually, Rose topped some of the subjects, including Potions and Transfiguration. Guess her snuffbox was pretty after all.

"My, look where the time went, Rose." She nodded.

" _Time flies by when you have good company."_

"That is right. It's good to see you more open. Hopefully, the sorting hat can announce which house you belong to next year," He smiles.

It totally slipped her mind that she was only a temporary Gryffindor student.

" _Will I be sorted next year?"_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

The holidays were quiet, Rose enjoyed her time with Priscilla and the peacefulness that surrounded her. She kept in touch with Hermione, her letters were more like essays, not that she minded reading them. The twins made sure to keep in contact with her. Word was getting around the soon-to-be fourth years about how Katie Bell, might not be playing Quidditch this year, making Rose an actual chaser. She was happy to be on the team nonetheless.

Ron wasn't much on writing so only a couple of letters were exchanged, but they were warming up to each other. It was a start. Even Neville wrote to her. Don't think his grandmother was happy with his grades, not that they were bad.

The one person she wanted to keep in contact with, was the one person who never wrote back.

Dear Harry,

I hope you're well. I'm sure you've gotten my other letters.

Please write back, it would be nice to know how you are doing.

I hope you are not mad about me saying good-bye through a letter.

~Rose

She whistled to her messenger with payment in the tips of her fingers. Howler swooped down and took the warm toast. If his mouth was wide enough, he would've engulfed the toast.

She sealed the envelope and gave it to Howler. _"Now be good and give this to Harry,"_ he hooted before taking flight. Heading towards the window, Rose decided to open the windows further rather than closing it in case she got an unexpected visitor.

She sat down as Priscilla climbed onto her lap. Slowly drifting to sleep.

" _Rose, come on! We don't have all day," A man shouted._

" _I'm coming! My trunk isn't light you know!" She slowly pulled her trunk out of her room. "I can't drag this downstairs," she huffed._

" _That's why you have a wand, Rose. You're a witch, use what you got."_

" _Easy for you to say, you're not an underage witch."_

" _Touché," he took out his wand and pointed to the trunk. Non-verbally chanting the feather-light charm, making it float with ease. "Let's not be late for your first year, shall we?"_

" _Yes, dad," she smiled. Her father returned it. His eyes were almost a dark grey colour in the sunlight. His chocolate curls covered his head, even his face. "You're really not a morning person."_

" _I'm not. Your mother always took joy in waking me up. Loud noise, cold water, you name it. She even made my pillow a Portkey once."_

" _What was your revenge?" She grinned._

" _Marrying her," his smile faltered a little, remembering her._

 _She hugged her father, "Now you got me waking you up."_

" _I do," he kissed the top of her head. "But now you won't have me making you punctual for your appointments, so don't be late for class." They both laughed. "I packed the letters in your trunk last night, read them when you need to. I'll be sure to send you letters once a week."_

 _He opened the door before they could walk pass the doorway, black hooded figures apparated in front of them._

" _Rose, get back," her father pushed her behind him away from their view. "Plan B, fireplace. Remember, what I told you. Always. Plan B, fireplace," he whispered. Rose stood there frozen. "RUN ROSE!"_

 _Suddenly, her feet awakened as she ran to the fireplace. She could hear spells from outside. She got to the fireplace._

 _She looked at the floo powder and remembered, "Plan B."_

 _She saw the gramophone and touched it._

Her eyes opened wide as she heard a bang with a flutter of wings. She sighed in relief. _"Who knew Errol would save me from another 'what-if' dream."_ Priscilla jumped off Rose as she walked to Errol. _"This is probably the most I've slept in a long time,"_ she blinked her tiredness away and focused on Errol, who looked like he was going to pass out. She got water and food for the poor owl. _"I think I should wait for Howler to come back before you go off."_

She noticed the letter on the table and went to open it.

Rose! Our dearest Rose!

How are you doing? Blimey, it's been ages! (Only 3 days).

You're probably wondering why the sudden owl. Why question it! You love our letters.

But we need to talk business. Dad came home and told us Harry got an official warning for using magic in front of muggles! Our Harry, when did he get daring? Ron told us he hasn't answered his letters and we bet he answered yours or Hermione's as well.

We decided to rescue Harry from that horrible place! I know you'd agree with us on this, no point owling you'd stop us because he'd be back by the time you write back, assuming it's Errol.

Don't worry, we'll bring him back in one piece!

We're taking the Ford Anglia after all!

Lots of love

Your favourite twins.

Fred and George if you forgot our names

P.S. How's it going with the Grangers? It's your second stay there, isn't it?

Rose stared blankly at the letter with mixed emotion. She didn't acknowledge the people that joined her in the kitchen.

"Oh, it was just Errol," Hermione sighed in relief. "Ron's sent a letter," she opened it and read it. Her reaction was quite the opposite of Rose's, who was still staring at her letter. "Harry's got a warning for using magic, doesn't he know we're not supposed to use magic outside of school?" She turned to Rose. "Rose, did you know about this? I assume the twins told you…Rose?"

Rose eventually snapped out of it and quickly went to reply. 

To my favourite dearest twins,

Staying with the Grangers is awesome! It'll be staying here till the train ride to Hogwarts! Keep that to ourselves though.

You two are seriously taking the Ford Anglia?! I want to say you two are responsible wizards, but the keyword is 'want'. Just stay safe. Bring everyone back in one piece, not just Harry! Owl me the moment you reached home safely.

Make sure you leave a note!

Don't worry your mother again. You can only get away with so much. That is not a challenge!

Bet you 2 Knuts, she'll make you de-gnome the garden if you get caught.

Lots of Love,

From the only flower in your lives

(Rose, if you didn't catch that.)

P.S. Errol is staying the night to recoup. Let Ron know.

As she finished sealing the envelope, Howler flew in and landed on her shoulder. She gave him cold toast that was on the kitchen counter and passed the letter, _"To the twins, you can stay the night."_

" _To think the holidays were going to be all quiet and peaceful."_ Priscilla pawed at her to be patted. _"Some things might never change."_

Later that night, Harry woke from the sound of a certain muggle enchanted car.

"Hiya Harry."

"Ron, Fred, George? What're you all doing here?"

"Rescuing you, of course. Now, come on. Get your trunk."

The night was eventful, sneaking out, getting caught by Uncle Vernon, watching him fall from the window and most of all, the car trip with the youngest Weasley boys.

"Touchdown!" Fred exclaimed as they hit the ground. It was only then, Harry got a look at Ron's house. It looked like it started off as a small house before rooms were created on top of one another. Like it was being held up by magic.

"It's not much, but it's home," Ron told Harry who noticed the lopsided sign, 'The Burrow'.

"It's wonderful," Ron smiled brightly at the comment.

"Now we've got to hurry, but quietly," Fred said. "We'll wait for mum to call us for break-," Fred stopped abruptly, noticing a figure coming towards them from the house, "Ah."

"Oh, dear," said George. Ron's face paled instantly.

They knew who was approaching them.

Mrs Weasley marched across the yard and stood in front of the boys, staring at her sons with her hands on her hips. "Where have you been? Beds empty! No Note! Car gone…" Mrs Weasley ranted. She was reassuring Harry in between her shouts at her sons, not that they noticed.

"That's what we forgot," Fred muttered.

"Knew we forgot something, even with Rose's letter," George responded.

"Rose?" Harry questioned, just to make sure he heard right.

"We told Rose about our rescue mission."

"She made sure Howler gave us her letter before leaving," George showed Harry a bit of the letter and it was indeed Rose's handwriting.

"Are you boys even listening?" She said in a deadly whisper.

"We are mum," The Weasley boys said in unison.

She huffed softening instantly, "Come on Harry, time for a spot of breakfast."

During breakfast, the twins protested their reasons for flying the car halfway across the country, but of course, it backfired. They were having a battle with Mrs Weasley, they weren't going to win.

"Blimey, I'm tired," yawned Fred, slowly getting up from his chair. "I think I'll go to-"

"You will not," his mother snapped, "It's your fault you've been up all night. You're going to de-gnome the garden for me."

And that was that. The twins now owed Rose ten Knuts each.

Staying at The Burrow was far different then Privet drive. It was truly a wondering time with the Weasleys, casually hearing explosions from Fred and George's bedroom, Mr Weasley asking him muggle related questions.

Another day, another breakfast with the Weasleys.

"Harry another question," Mr Weasley said while eating. "Tell me, what exactly is the function of a rubber duck?" Before Harry could answer, there was a screech head from outside.

"That must be Errol with the post," Mrs Weasley stated, stopping her duty at the stove to peer at the kitchen window. Errol was soaring towards the window, but to Harry's horror, the owl didn't pull up.

 _ **SMACK!**_

Errol flattened himself against the glass.

"Fetch him, will you, Percy?" He nodded to his mother before peeling Errol from the window to get the letters.

"It's our Hogwarts letters. They've sent Harry's as well. You also got another letter, Harry." Harry didn't get time to open the letter but he knew it was from Rose.

"Dumbledore must know you're here, Harry. Doesn't miss a trick, that man," Mr Weasley states.

"This lot won't come cheap, mum," said Fred reading the letter.

"The spell books alone are very expensive," George states.

"We'll manage," she smiles, "There's only one place we're going to get all of this."

"Diagon Alley," the twins say in unison.

Everyone was by the chimney, wearing their robes about to go to Diagon Alley via Floo powder.

Of course, Harry never travelled by Floo powder.

Of course, Harry was going to get flustered and not speak clearly.

Of course, Harry wasn't going to end up in Diagon Alley, but Knockturn Alley instead.

Always an adventure for young Harry.

He was rescued in the nick of time by Hagrid. "Yer a mess, Harry!" He exclaimed, "Skulin' round Knockturn Alley. Dodgy place, Harry. Don't want no one ter see yeh down there. People'll be thinkin' yer up ter no good."

"I was lost, I…Hang on," he stopped to look up at Hagrid, "What were you doing down there then?"

"I was lookin' fer Flesh-Eatin' Slug Repellent. They're ruinin' the school cabbages."

"Harry!" Hermione dashed out a store to stopped in front of them, "Hagrid!"

"Hello, Hermione," Hagrid said cheerfully.

"Oh, it's wonderful to see you two again."

"It's great to see you two," Harry smiled. "Where's Rose?" The twins told Harry that Rose is staying over with Hermione for the rest of the Summer.

"Ah she's," Hermione gave a look to Hagrid, who nodded, "she's with her family. She said she'll meet us at Flourish and Blotts in about an hour or so," Hermione felt content in her explanation.

"Family?" He questioned.

"C'mon. Everyone's been so worried," Hermione pulls Harry to follow her.

She leads them to Gringotts where the Weasleys were waiting. Once they left the Wizarding Bank, everyone split up to do their own thing before they all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour.

While the trio were slurping on their strawberry-and-peanut-butter ice cream as they wondered the alley, Rose was already on her way to the bookstore.

She knew there was a particular wizard signing his 'work' today, but Hermione was very adamant about going to Diagon Alley. All she had looking forward to was seeing Harry and the twins.

" _I wonder if he read my letter."_

Getting through the crowd in the bookstore was more challenging then Rose thought. She wasn't short compared to the previous year but she was still small enough to be unnoticed by people. She managed to get to the staircase, to avoid any more possible trampling.

" _Guess I'll be staying here until the crowd leaves…If they leave."_ No one notices Rose going upstairs, admiring the books as she went up.

She came across an old book that caught her eye. It must've been an old edition of a book as there was no cover. She sat down and read the book, admiring all the different types of creatures and where to find them. She knew some of them from what Hagrid had told her many times before.

Suddenly, she saw a pair of shoes in front of her. She looked up not expecting to see the person in front her.

"Baby Gryffindor," he smirked. "Why are you up here?"

"Too crowded downstairs," she wrote, "Ladies were going to trample me just to get a glimpse of Lockhart."

He scoffs, "Don't you want to see Lockhart?"

She shook her head, "Never, not even for one hundred Galleons." Malfoy smiled at her, a genuine smile of approval at what she said.

"I'm surprised, thought all girls wanted to see him."

"Not all. Don't believe he's done everything he's said in those books."

"I think so too." For the first time, their encounter was civil. They were actually having a conversation, something Rose thought wasn't even possible. "You know my father; he's going to get me the latest broom."

"The Nimbus 2001?"

He looked at her properly for the first time, making eye contact. After a long pause, he cleared his throat. "Y-yeah, how did you know?"

"I play Quidditch, wouldn't it be odd I didn't know what's out there?"

"I suppose," an applause erupted the bookstore. "It's starting," both of them made it the railing and watched the following events unfold.

Rose watched as Lockhart and Harry were getting their photograph taken for the Daily Prophet.

"At least we won't be seeing Lockhart after this," Malfoy nodded in agreement, somewhat distracted, focusing on Harry.

"I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Lockhart announced.

Rose's shoulders slumped, _"Why him…"_

She saw Malfoy dash down the stairs then paused at a book. Within a second he ripped out a page, folded it and kept it in his pocket before heading downstairs.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" He was now face-to-face with Harry. "Famous Harry Potter. Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

"Leave him alone," Ginny glared at Malfoy.

"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" He said amusingly.

Rose watched the scene playing out in front of her. Harry, meeting Malfoy senior for the first time, his interaction with Hermione and the Weasleys. She wasn't focusing on the words being exchanged until Ginny's cauldron hit the ground. Mr Weasley had thrown himself at Mr Malfoy, books falling down the bookshelf causing people to yell at them.

It would probably be the highlight of the bookstore over Lockhart's signing.

Rose whistled as loud as she could.

"Break it up, there, gents, break it up," Hagrid came into the shop and split the two men apart instantly.

Rose noticed a piece of folded paper on the floor, she picked it up quickly to give it to Malfoy but he was no longer in Flourish and Blotts. She manoeuvred around the people to exit to Diagon Alley, she saw him from afar and whistled. He instantly stopped and pivoted around, making Rose bump into him, her head budding his chin.

"Watch it, Baby Gryffindor!" He held his chin. Rose gave an apologetic look before giving him the folded paper. He quickly grabbed it and placed it securely in his pocket. Draco felt a hand on his shoulder and looked behind him to see his father standing there.

"What is the holdup? Do you know this girl?" He sneered, looking at her, seeing her wearing the Gryffindor emblem.

"She's the mute girl I told you about, father."

"Ah, the student that wasn't sorted. Lucius Malfoy," he extended his hand and she shook it lightly before retracting her hand. "And your name? Full name?" Rose fiddled with her pendant before she wiping her hands on the black robe she wore and stared at him. "Interesting," he muttered, "Draco, let's go." He turned and started walking.

"See you at school, Baby Gryffindor." She watched them leave before she turned to look for Hermione before the Granger's got worried.

"You dropped this," Hermione gave Rose her blackboard. "I saw it on the staircase."

" _Sorry,"_ she mouthed.

"That's okay, but what were you doing outside?"

"Needed fresh air."

Hermione nodded, "Where're heading home now. You got everything?" Rose whistled.

"Well, if it isn't-"

"The only flower in our lives." Rose smiled widely when she spotted the twins.

"My favourite twins, how are you?" she wrote.

"Brilliant, now that we saw you." They winked at her making her silently giggle.

She turned and saw the person she was most eager to meet.

"Hi Harry"

"Hi Rose, it's good to see you."

"Good to see you too."

"I-I haven't read your letter yet."

"That's okay, no hurry," she smiled at him.

"What have you be-."

"Rose, we have to go." Hermione unknowingly interrupted Harry.

"Hopefully we can talk another time," she quickly scribbled.

Harry nodded, "Bye, Rose, Hermione."

"Bye Harry," Rose followed Hermione as she went with her parents leaving The Leaking Cauldron to the muggle street.

Summer vacation was at an end. Time flew by fast. In the past weeks, she owl'd the Weasleys and Harry. During her stay at the Grangers, she was right at home. Adapted to everything from working the toaster to switching the channel.

The only issue she had was her terminology. A mechanic was not called a car doctor, she wasn't wrong, but it's not something you say, not that anyone minded. Light entertainment during the day isn't harmful.

Due to Hermione's paranoia of leaving something behind, Rose had no choice but to pack everything over a week before leaving. Though she found it amusing that Hermione was the one to leave something behind. They weren't late after retrieving the forgotten scarf on the sofa.

They reached King's Cross Station with half an hour to go before departure. Hermione wanted Rose to have the perfect memory as it was her first time.

"Here it is, platform nine and three-quarters," Hermione said before turning to her parents. "Bye mum, dad," she hugged them both tightly.

"Thank you again for letting me stay for the holidays."

"Our pleasure Rose, please do visit us again. We love having you around," Mrs Granger gave her a hug.

"Yes, please do," Mr Granger smiled. "Rose, what do you call a person who does your plants?" She thought about it for a few seconds before she started to write. She turned her board to the Grangers.

"Plant nurse," Rose seemed very proud of her answer.

"Just brilliant," Mr Granger said, while the others laughed silently.

If only she knew.

"Dad," Hermione groaned, "No more questions," she laughed.

"Alright, alright. You two enjoy the train ride." The girls nodded.

"Write to us, Rose," said Mrs Granger.

"I will," she wrote.

"Okay Rose, follow me," Hermione instructed as she pushed her trolley while Rose followed. "Actually, you see that boy," she pointed. Rose nodded, she recognised him to be a Hufflepuff, someone in the twin's year. The two girls watched as the dark haired boy ran with his trolley through the barrier and vanished.

"That's what we have to do, C'mon," Hermione first and Rose followed, having the urge to close her eyes in case she'll crash. She felt herself go through the barrier. "You can open your eyes," Hermione giggled. Rose opened one eye at a time and took in her surroundings. She was in awe, all the way to the compartment. They managed to find one empty. "Wait here, I'll see if the others are somewhere," Rose nodded.

Priscilla was enjoying jumping from one seat to the other. After a few minutes, Hermione came in, with a worried expression on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"They aren't on the train; I hope they don't miss it."

"There's ten minutes left."

Minutes went by and both of them started to get worried, what if something happened on the way here? Before any more thought took over, the compartment door opened.

"I see you've saved us a seat."

"That's very nice of you Rose."

"Now, scoot over," they said in unison. She grinned before she moved herself to the middle while the twins sat beside her, Fred, on the right, by the window and George, on the left beside the door.

"Made it just in time," she wrote.

"Don't we always," how she missed them talking in sync.

"Ginny, sit down," Fred said, gesturing to a seat next to Hermione, "they don't bite." Ginny quietly sat next to Hermione, who was stroking Priscilla. Priscilla was clearly enjoying the attention as her purrs were quite loud.

There was a jerk before the train started to move.

Her first train ride to Hogwarts, she watched as the close scenery was getting blurry and moving fast. She smiled.

"Is that your cat?" Ginny asked Hermione.

"No, she's Rose's cat."

"Oh," she hesitated.

Rose tilted her head, "You can pet her, she's friendly as long as you give her the attention she needs." Ginny nodded before patting her.

"First time on a train, Rose?" Fred asked. She shook her head.

"No?" George questioned.

She started scribbling fast, "Went on a train ride with my father and uncle when I was five."

"With your father and uncle? Where are they now?" She shook her head.

"Not going to tell us? Not even your favourite twins? George said.

She huffed, stifling a yawn before she began writing. "One died and the other disappeared. I don't remember much."

Before the twins could respond, Jordan Lee came in and started to chat.

Fred elbowed Rose, eyeing her, "Are you nervous?" She nodded. "Why?"

"I'm getting sorted again."

"Don't worry-"

"You'll be in Gryffindor," George said with confidence.

"Definitely, you will be Gryffindor's new Chaser!" Lee said excitingly.

She smiled before a yawn broke out.

"Someone's sleepy," Hermione smirked.

"Clearly," the twins said. Rose just folded her arms and sank into her seat. Lee and the twins soon got into a deep conversation, who knows what about.

Rose just stared at the window, catching a glimpse of something blue. She moved towards the window to get a better look. But nothing from the ordinary.

"Saw something Rose?" Lee asked. She yawned, nodding her head.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"A flying car," she wrote.

"Now you're imagining things," Fred laughed.

"Sleep time for you," George said.

"Quit smothering her," said Ginny.

"Don't be jealous," Fred retorted. "Come on Rose," Fred moved towards the left, he patted the seat on his right. "Cosy corner should put you to sleep." She nodded before sitting down curling up. Priscilla jumped on her and curled on top of her and the two slowly drifted to sleep.

" _Really thought someone was yelling outside."_

 _She walked into the forest, wind blowing the fallen leaves across her path. The full moon shining in the starless sky._

 _A howl was heard. Barefooted, she ran going further and further into the heart of the forest. A pounding headache erupted her thoughts. Steps could be heard, gaining behind her._

 _Frightened to look she ran faster, ignoring the ache in her feet. Not looking ahead, she tripped. Before she could get up, she knew it was over. She slowly turned to see the one she feared cowering over her with a sinister smile._

 _All she could do was scream._

"Rose. .Rose…Wake up Rose." She slowly fluttered her eyes open to meet Hermione's. "Thought I'd wake you so you could…change." Hermione gave a knowing look. She knew she woke up Rose just in time. No one noticed thankfully.

Rose nodded before getting her uniform to change into. On the way back, she noticed other students whispering. _"Guess that hasn't changed."_ She found it odd, even the first-years were whispering at her glance so it couldn't be about Quidditch. She opened the compartment as the twins walked to her. She knew something was up and raised her eyebrow.

"It wasn't our fault-"

"So you can't be mad."

" _Out with it,"_ she sat back at her initial spot as the twins sat beside her.

"Lee." She nodded, now she knew what they were whispering about her. The whole train knew she was getting sorted…again.

"Other than that, what did I miss?" She wrote. She was running out of chalk.

"Nothing. Actually, …you missed out on pumpkin pasties," George said. Her eyes widened.

"Yeah, she left about five minutes ago," Hermione said.

"You better-" Rose dashed out of the compartment, "Anything for her pumpkin pasties," said Fred.

Rose briskly walked, passing by other students until she reached the trolley.

"Anything from the trolley?"

"4 Pumpkin Pasties please."

The rest of the train ride was peaceful, she stayed with the twins to avoid being lost. Her anxiety was increasing as they were getting closer to Hogwarts.

She never got to admire the view of the Black Lake as she only looked at the palm of her hands. She even looked down at her feet when walking to her Great Hall. She zoned out during the sorting of the first-years. She was only brought back to reality when Hermione nudged her. She instantly stood up, like a robot, she walked to the stool.

Oblivious to what the Sorting Hat was saying, she realised something, _"Where are Harry and Ron?"_

"I think I'm getting something," the Sorting Hat muttered. Five minuted had gone by, officially making it a Hat stall. "Nothing," he grumbled.

She looked up at Professor McGonagall who didn't seem surprised at the Hat's answer.

"Gryffindor will have a temporary student again this year."

As Rose got up, Professor Snape came by and whispered to McGonagall, not breaking eye-contact with Rose.

She made her way back to Hermione.

All eyes were on her once again.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9

Snape returned to his office with Professor McGonagall, looking at the two pale-faced boys who awaited their verdict. They flinched when the head of Gryffindor raised her wand to only spark a flame in the fireplace.

"Sit," the two backed into chairs by the fire. "Explain."

Ron started talking right away, Harry spoke here and there until they both believed what they did was justified.

"Why didn't you send us a letter by owl? I believe you have an owl," she said coldly.

"I…I didn't think of that," Harry gasped.

"That…is obvious."

 _ **Knock, Knock**_

Snape went to answer the door, wearing a peculiar look on his face. Once the door opened, it explained his smile. Professor Dumbledore walked in, with not the most pleasant expression. There was a long silence before he spoke.

"Please explain why you did this."

The boys told the same story again, Harry couldn't bring himself to meet his head master's eyes.

It looked as though Christmas had been cancelled when Professor Snape failed to convince Dumbledore to have the boys expelled.

The two gentlemen left to return to the feast, leaving McGonagall with Harry and Ron.

"You'd better get along to the hospital wing, Weasley, you're bleeding."

"Not much," Ron said, hastily wiping his cut with his sleeve. "Professor, I wanted to watch my sister being sorted-"

"The Sorting Ceremony is over," she interrupted. "Your sister is also in Gryffindor."

"Oh good."

"And Rose?" Harry asked.

"Rose will be a temporary Gryffindor student this year," she gave a weak smile.

McGonagall took out her wound once again and pointed it to Snape's desk, a large plate of Sandwiches and, two goblets and a jug of pumpkin juice appeared. "You will eat in here and then go straight up to your dormitory." With that, she left the boys alone as she headed back to the feast.

As the boys finished their sandwiches, the door opened, fearing it was Snape they both stood straight. They relaxed when they saw Professor McGonagall with a small girl behind her.

"Rose will take you back to the dormitories." She said before turning to Rose, "I take it you know the password, dearie?" Rose nodded. Once McGonagall left and the door clicked closed, Rose dashed to hug Harry.

 _ **Whack!**_

She quickly gave Ron a hug too, despite the physical pain she caused seconds before.

She furiously started writing on her blackboard, standing between the two. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? I was scared when I heard the rumours. Please don't do that next time."

They were quite shocked by Rose's sudden openness. Harry smiled, he missed her. He noticed Ron was red, attempting to answer Rose's questions while she noticed Ron's cut above his eye. Ron became redder at her touch. Harry had an unsettling feeling when he watched the two.

She withdrew her hand noticing Harry's expression.

" _Tummy upset I wonder."_ She tugged on his robe and they headed to the dormitory.

They turned a corner to bump into Prissy.

"The wolf is still here?" Rose nudged Ron at that.

"Hello Prissy," Harry greeted the black wolf, who found licking her paw of much importance.

"She's more feline than scary," Harry observed. As he said that, Mrs Norris came into view.

"It's Mrs Norris," said Ron anxiously, "that means."

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" They would even recognise the voice if the hallway was having a party. "If only Mom wasn't so nice, the both of you would've been expelled," he sneered. "What are you doing wandering around the corridors?"

"Professor McGonagall asked me to take them back to the dorms," she wrote.

"Lies."

"Want to take us to her now and see who's right?"

He gulped, "off to bed before I change my mind." As they started to walk away, Harry stopped to pick something off the floor. They looked at it before Rose whistled. It was a Kwikspell letter addressed to Argus Filch.

"Mr Filch, you dropped this," Harry said, handing him the letter. Filch quickly stuffed the envelope into his pocket as he turned red. They left an embarrassed Filch as they headed to the pink lady.

They soon approached the portrait of the fat lady, Rose wrote _"watter tail"_ on her blackboard and showed the password. Rose did a small bow before the portrait swung, revealing the entrance to the Gryffindor tower.

There was a sudden storm of applause, almost all of Gryffindor were awake to congratulate the boys on their spectacular entrance. They evidently got separated in the crowd, Rose whistled to Harry and gave a letter. They knew this year they would be writing to each other more.

Next morning, Harry sat opposite of Rose who was sitting next to Hermione, reading. Hermione was giving the silent treatment to the boys after the flying car incident.

"Errol," Ron shouted, they watched as he picked the unconscious owl, taking an envelope from his beak.

A red envelope to be exact.

Rose instantly knew what it was, she was getting ready to cover her ears.

"Oh no," Ron gasped.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked. Of course, he wouldn't know.

"She's sent me a Howler," he muttered.

"Go on Ron," said Neville. "I ignored one from my gran once, it was horrible," he gulped.

"What's a Howler?" Harry was very much out of the loop. No explanation was necessary once Ron shakily opened the envelope.

This was why Rose liked _her_ Howler so much.

Before long, Professor McGonagall handed out their schedule. Double Herbology with Hufflepuff first. By the time the four reached the greenhouses, Hermione was talking as if her silent treatment never took place.

The cheerful little professor who loves wearing her old patched hat was somewhat displeased.

"Oh, hello there!" Rose pleaded with herself, hoping it wasn't a certain defence teacher she heard. "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow!"

She internally groaned, _"Why must he be at school…"_

"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" That sparked an interest in the second-years. They only ever been in greenhouse one before. The higher the number, more exposure to dangerous plants. Can only wonder what greenhouse three would have in store for them.

"Welcome to Greenhouse three, second-years. Now gather around everyone," Professor Sprout began. "Today we are going to repot Mandrakes. Who here can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?"

We can guess whose hand shot up into the air first.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Mandrake, or Maudragora, is a powerful restorative." She began. "It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."

"Such as reviving people from being Petrified," Rose wrote.

Hermione spoke her words on her behalf before continuing again. "It is also quite dangerous. The Mandrake's cry is fatal to anyone who hears it."

"Excellent explanation Miss Granger, fine example Miss Rose. Fifteen points to Gryffindor. Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young, their cries won't kill you yet. But they can knock you out for several hours which is why I've given each of you a pair of ear muffs for auditory protection. I'll tell you when to put them on. First, four to a tray."

The four stood by a tray and continued to listen to Professor Sprout until it was their turn to repot the Mandrake. She made it seem easy, but Mandrakes didn't like leaving the pot or going into another either, throwing tantrum like an actual baby.

The only person that didn't leave the greenhouse sweaty was Rose, it seemed that the Mandrakes preferred to be in the pot over being near her, basically quivering over crying, kicking like the others. No one could tell she wasn't sweating, like everyone else she was covered in Earth, her nose was scrunched up until she got a good wash.

Transfiguration was next, nothing but a sum up from the previous year. While the girls easily turned the beetles into buttons, the boys found it rather difficult, one had forgotten what he learned during summer and the other had a spellotape patched wand. You can imagine how successful they were.

Lunch was a good break for all of them. Harry and Ron talking about Quidditch, Hermione reading _'Voyages with Vampires'_ again with a sleeping Rose on her lap. Herbology seemed to have taken her energy away.

She needed her energy for her next class. A class she felt like she would dread for the whole year.

Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of _Witch Weekly_ 's Most Charming Smile Award but I don't talk about that."

" _Of course, you do,"_ Rose Huffed.

She was fixated on a sound coming from Lockhart's desk to noticed Hermione giving her a test paper.

"Rose," Hermione nudges her. Rose took the paper and stared in disbelief.

" _Is it bad I know the answers?"_

"Tut, tut…hardly any of you remembered that my favourite colour is lilac, but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair care potions, good girl. In fact," he flipped her paper over, "full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?" She raised her hand slowly. "Excellent!" He beamed. "Oh, another who has full marks, Miss…there's no last name, Miss R-Rose?"

" _Guess it was a good thing Hermione read her books out loud all summer."_

Rose raised her hand, "Quite excellent! Ten points each! So, to business," he lifted a largely covered cage onto his desk.

" _So that was the noise I heard."_

"Now, be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind!" The rage rattles, "You might find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I'm here. All I ask is that you remain calm." Lockhart gripped onto the cover of the cage. Many were curious, some were scared to see what was in the cage.

Once he whipped off the cover, it was revealed to be Cornish pixies. Rose huffed before slouching into her seat. Rose wasn't fond of them.

"Right then, Lockhart said, "Let's see what you make of them!" With that, he opened the cage and the eight-inch blue pixies flew out of the cage like mini rockets. Some were breaking things, ripping pages from books while others were disturbing the students in the classroom.

Rose hid under her seat, she did near Lockhart casting a spell, but it didn't faze the pixies.

"I'll ask you three to just nip the rest of them back into their cage," Lockhart said as he shut the door to his office, hiding.

Rose got up to see that the trio were still in class. One of the pixies started pulling on her hair making her turn into its direction. It quickly flew away upon seeing her expression.

"Freezing charm, Hermione," she wrote.

"Hermione got out her wand and pointed it in the air. "Immobulus!" The stunned pixies floated in the air until they were placed back into the cage.

"Can you believe him?" Ron grumbled.

"He just wants to give us some hands-on experience."

"Hands on?" Harry questioned, "Hermione, he didn't have a clue what he was doing."

"You've read his books," she urged. "look at all those amazing things he's done."

"He _says_ he's done," Ron muttered. Rose nodded in agreement.

For the next few days, Harry was able to dodge Lockhart and camera boy Creevey with the help of Prissy. Finally, it was Saturday, the four wanted to go visit Hagrid. However, things may not go as planned when Wood decided to wake Harry up early in the morning.

"Whassamatter?" Harry groggily spoke as he attempted to open his eyes.

"Quidditch practice! Come on!"

"Oliver, it's the crack of dawn," he squinted at the window.

"Exactly," Oliver smiled. "Meet you on the field in fifteen minutes," he said as Harry climbed out of bed.

As Harry descended the stairs, he paused halfway when he heard a voice of a certain person he was avoiding. Colin Creevey, first-year Gryffindor student who was eager to get to know Harry Potter.

"So why do you use a blackboard instead of talking?"

Harry knew who he was talking to and wasn't going to let her struggle any longer.

"Sorry, Colin, we're in a hurry," Harry said walking towards Rose. "Quidditch practice."

The duo walked through the portrait hole. "Wait for me! I've never watched a Quidditch game before!" They heard from behind.

"It'll be really boring," Harry said quickly, but Colin ignored him and bombarded them with questions. "You were the youngest player in a hundred years, weren't you, Harry?"

"Rose is too."

"I'm a year older, like Hermione. So, you're the youngest. Besides, I'm just a reserve player." Colin took note before he continued asking questions.

"We should've taken your cloak in order to have peace," she wrote. Harry smiled and nodded.

The rest of the Gryffindor team were already in the changing room, waiting for the duo. Though Wood was the only one wide awake. The rest of the team was sitting down, twins with tousled hair, Alicia nodding off, Angelina and Katie, yawning continuously.

"Now, I wanted a quick talk with you all before we actually get on the field. I spent the summer devising a whole new training program," Wood continued to explain his training program on multiple boards, with diagrams and colour coded crosses, very vibrant one would say. If only the team was just as bright and awake.

Rose had sat between the twins, Fred used her head as a pillow for his own and commence snoring while Rose herself was leaning on George's shoulder.

"Is that clear? Any questions?"

"I've got a question, Oliver," George said adjusting himself. "Why couldn't you have told us all of this when we were awake?"

"And what is your definition of a quick talk?" Rose wrote.

Oliver glared at the two. "Now, listen here," he said unpleasantly, "We should have won the Quidditch cup last year. We're easily the best team." Rose whistled. "But unfortunately owing to circumstances beyond our control…" The duo looked at each other before looking down, remembering that they were in the hospital wing for the final match last year.

Gryffindor had suffered their worst defeat in three hundred years.

"This year, we train harder than ever before. Okay, let's go and put our new theories into practice!" Oliver shouted, leading his team out of the locker room.

Rose was close to having her face meet first with the ground when she got up.

"Easy there," Fred yawned, holding Rose. She could only yarn in response. Contagious things.

"Better walk with us," George said, taking hold of her broom and they walked out.

"Aren't you finished?" Ron asked Harry.

"We haven't even started," he replied. Harry waited for Rose to pass Hermione her blackboard before they mounted their broomsticks.

Harry felt wonderful flying on the field again, he took one full lap with the twins and Rose.

The duo were brought back to reality when they heard clicking. They completely forgot Creevey was there to watch them practice, of course, no one else knew that.

"Why's that first year taking pictures?" Oliver said as he got closer to the group. "I don't like it. He could be a Slytherin spy, trying to find out about our new training program."

"He's a Gryffindor," Harry said quickly.

"And Slytherins don't need a spy, Oliver," Fred chipped in.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

"Because they're here…in person," George pointed downwards. Several people in green robes were on the field, broomsticks in hand.

"I don't believe it," Oliver hissed, "I booked the field for today! We'll see about this!" Oliver shot towards the ground as the rest of the team followed. "Flint," he called for the Slytherin Captain. "Why are you here?"

"Quidditch practice!" Flint stated plainly.

"I booked the pitch for Gryffindor today."

"Ah, I've got a note," Flint handed Wood a piece of parchment.

"'I, Professor Snape, hereby, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today owing to the need to train their new Seeker.' You got a new Seeker? Who?"

From the six tall players, emerged a smaller boy with white-blond hair.

"Malfoy?" Harry said as Hermione and Ron came to see what the commotion was all about.

"That's right," he smirked. "That's not all that's new this year," he stood in front with his broomstick in full view. That's when they noticed the new broomstick he had, they soon realised the whole team had the same broom.

"Those are new Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones," Ron said in amazement, "How did you get those?"

"A gift from Draco's father," Flint smirked.

"You see Weasley, unlike some, my father can afford the best," Malfoy said as the Slytherin team snickered.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to _buy_ their way in," Hermione said sharply, " _They_ got in on pure talent."

The smug look on Malfoy's face faltered for a moment before getting his composure.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat. There were gasps all around before an uproar came from the Gryffindor team. They were stopping each other from jumping at the boy. Rose was caught up pulling the twins back to do anything herself.

"You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" Ron said as he took out his wand. "Eat slugs!" A loud bang echoed on the field as a green light came from Ron's wand, hitting him in the stomach which sent him flying backwards.

"You okay, Ron?" Hermione dashed towards him as the rest of Gryffindor followed. "Are you all right? Say something."

Ron opened his mouth, but no words came out. Instead, a slug came out.

Anyone would've lost their appetite at the sight.

Apparently not Slytherin as they were paralysed with laughter.

"Wow, can you turn him around, Harry?" Creevey was most interested in photos than the actual situation which seemed to anger the duo.

"No Colin, get out of the way!" Harry said angrily. "Let's take him to Hagrid's," he told Hermione. "He'll know what to do." She nodded as they lifted Ron to take him.

Creevey would've been able to take a photo of a sluggish Ron if Rose didn't snatch his camera. She passed it to the twins given their height.

Rose walked up to the Slytherin team, watching Malfoy on all fours, banging the ground with his fist in laughter. This angered her even more. She grabbed a fistful of Draco's robe and brought him to his feet. That stopped the snakes from laughing any further.

"You have to admit, it was funny," he said as the snakes snickered. Rose just glared at him.

"Oh? No words today Baby Gryffindor? You're probably just like her, I bet you're a Mud-"

 _ **Slap!**_

Her glare pierced into his eyes. A moment later she turned to leave, walking in the direction of the trio leaving those who witnessed all stunned.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

"He called me a Mudblood."

Hagrid gasped, "he did not!"

"What's a Mudblood?" Harry asked.

"It means dirty blood. Mudblood is a really foul name for someone who is Muggle-born, someone with non-magic parents. . .someone like me. It's not a term one usually hears in civilized conversations."

"Yeh see, Harry-" Hagrid stopped talking when the door to his hut opened wide for only a small figure to dashed in and engulfed Hermione. "O' there yeh are, Rose."

"I'm okay Rose," Hermione reassured her. Her only response was the tightening grip around her, "I won't be okay if I can't breathe."

" _Oops."_

She quickly released Hermione before commencing a light side hug, something she does when napping awkwardly. Hagrid sat down again after closing the door getting comfy before talking.

"There are some wizards like the Malfoy family who think they're better than everyone because of what people call pureblood."

"That's horrible," said Harry.

"The rest of us," Ron said hoarsely, "know it doesn't make any difference," he dived into the bucket as a slug came out. You didn't have to see it, it was hard not to hear.

"The other purebloods, some are like the Weasleys like Ron said, it doesn' make any difference, Rose thinks the same way too," said Hagrid. Rose whistled warningly, he cleared his throat loudly. "Ah, look at Longbottom, he's a pureblood and he can hardly stand a cauldron the right way up," he coughed again, "Or so I've heard."

" _Brilliant save,"_ she huffed.

"There isn't a wizard today that isn't half-blood or less, more to the point, they haven't invented a spell our Hermione can' do. Come here," he stretched out his hand towards her and their palms met. "Don' you think about it, Hermione, not fer a minute." They smiled at each other. "Maybe it was a good thing yer wand backfired, 'spect Lucius Malfoy would've come marchin' up ter school if yeh'd cursed his son. Least yer not in trouble."

" _Let's hope none of us are…"_ She looked at her hands.

"Somethin' ter matter, Rose?" She shook her head.

"Where's your board?" Harry asked. At that question, they looked at Hermione, whose eyes grew wide in realization.

"I left it on the field," she gasped. "I completely spaced."

Rose whistled and smiled, "It's fine," she mouthed.

"What's wrong with your hand?" Harry got up to get a closer look, making Rose cover her left hand and show him her right.

"The other hand," she huffed before showing the hand of concern.

"Why is it so red? Did…did you hit something?"

Whistling would've been too obvious for her, so she just looked at the ceiling.

" _If Malfoy was classified as an 'it', you would be right."_

"You did take a while to get here, did you fall?" Hermione inquired. "Did you get to talking to Professor Lockhart?" she sounded hopeful yet envious.

Rose shook her head so fast, Ron laughed a slug out into the bucket. Rose shook her head slowly again and pointed to Harry.

"So, you did hit something." Rose nodded. "What exactly?" Hermione was getting somewhere.

" _I slapped Malfoy"_ she mouthed.

"I didn't quite get that."

" _I,"_ she pointed to herself.

" _Slapped,"_ she out her hand to her cheek.

" _Malfoy,"_ she mouths, slower this time.

"I slapped Malfoy," said Harry.

Ron gave him a puzzled look, "No you didn't, I was there."

"I didn't," Harry clarified, "Rose did."

As if on cue, Rose whistled, looking at the ceiling.

"Rose, did you really hit Malfoy?" Hermione asked.

Rose slowly nodded, refusing to look at her.

"Why would you-you could get into trouble for that, Rose," she warned. Rose silently whined. "Rose, this is serious, you hit a student."

"Hermione's right. Let's hope his father doesn' come ter school," Hagrid stated.

"I just wished-" Ron was again out of sight, "..I could've seen it." There was a pause before they all nodded.

"He deserved it ter say the least."

As Hagrid showed the trio his pumpkins that may or may not have been 'magically' helped, Rose was heading back to the pitch in search of her board. She checked the locker room first in case the twins found it, but they only had brought her broom back.

" _You'd think it'd be easy to find it here."_ Before long she decided to exit the pitch. Someone may have kept it for her.

"What do we have here? Looking for something I wonder." Rose turned to see no other than Pansy Parkinson along with her roommates. "Hmm, maybe it's this," her hand came into view, holding a blackboard. It was clear what the situation was becoming.

Rose placed her palm in front of them, getting to the point.

"What? You think I'm going to just give this to you?"

Rose huffed. _"Of course not."_

"When I heard that the pity Gryffindor injured _my_ Draco," she exasperated, "I had to find you."

" _Flattery won't get you far."_

" _Your_ Draco?" A blue-eyed girl spoke out. "Like you're dating Malfoy," the rest snickered.

"Shut up Daphne! And you," Parkinson pointed to Rose, "he's got a big bruise on his right cheek."

Rose eyes widened. _"A bruise? I couldn't have hit that hard."_

"I'm sure he's telling his father as we, I mean _I_ speak. Like you can say anything."

Rose gestured to her board once again.

"I think she's getting upset," Greengrass observed.

"Aww is little pity Gryffindor getting upset that Draco said the truth about her?" Parkinson's smirk could definitely compete with the Joker's. "Or are you upset because that's what you are?"

"She's Muggle-born?" That was the first time Millicent Bulstrode spoke.

"She has to be, why else can't she talk?"

" _One of the dumbest reasons I've heard, but not the first."_

"That's one of the dumbest reasons I've heard," said Greengrass.

Rose smiled slightly

"Are you Muggle-born?" Rose shrugged her shoulders.

"When am I going to hit her?" Bulstrode's words rolled off her tongue like it was the most naturalist thing to say.

"No one said anything about hitting," Greengrass said alarmingly.

"You think I was going to let the Mudblood get away with it?"

"It's not your problem Pansy, Malfoy should be doing it."

"Shut up Greengrass! Bulstrode she's all yours."

A grin popped up on her face as she walked to Rose.

"You know, if…" Greengrass hesitated. "If no house girl goes to the Great Hall with a mess up face, wouldn't everyone think Malfoy did it?"

"Your point?" Parkinson was losing her patience.

"Wouldn't he get into trouble? Even Professor Snape likes her. His bruise could be a Quidditch incident but for her… They'll know it was payback."

" _I'm getting saved by a Slytherin from a Slytherin…Odd"_ She pinched herself. _"I've never seen Greengrass talk so much."_

"Fine...You sound like Tracey."

"Well, someone has to when she's not around."

"Millicent, leave her," Bulstrode grunted before stepping back. "This wasn't the plan," Pansy said, grinding her teeth.

"Oh, don't worry. You'll get your satisfaction…both of you." Greengrass gave a devilish smirk.

No one suspected a two-faced Greengrass.

"How?" Pansy enjoyed the look on her friend's face.

"You're holding it."

Horror washed over Rose's face for a second before she regained composure.

"Now I remember why we're friends. Without this, pity Gryffindor can't talk." She turned to Rose, "Without this, you can stay invisible, being the little no house Mudblood that you are. If you're smart enough, you should consider leaving but until then," Pansy throw the board at Bulstrode. "I'll be here to remind you why you don't belong here."

She stepped close to Rose until she was close enough to share the same air.

 _ **THUD**_

 _ **CRACK!**_

She knew what had happened.

Too focused on holding her breath being close to Parkinson, she didn't realise Bulstrode was given the board.

Compensation for no physical assault was breaking the board.

Her way of talking,

Being able to joke,

Others understanding her,

Her communicator was in pieces at her feet.

"Going to have to save parchment, if you can afford it." With that, Parkinson started to walk away, with the most satisfied smirk Rose had been up to date.

Once they were out of sight, Rose's legs buckled. She just stared at the pile before her.

She didn't know how long she was there until she saw two familiar shoes in front of her.

"Reparo!"

Slowly the pieces flew back together and formed a blackboard.

A board that was shattered a moment before.

As if the confrontation never took place. The only thing that prevented her from pinching herself was the tears that were threatening to come out. She blinked her tears away before looking up at the owner of the shoes.

"What happened?" She only shrugged.

"Rose." The voice was stern with waves of concern.

There was a pause before he gave out his hand. Without hesitation, Rose took his hand and was on her feet. She placed her board around her neck. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" She shrugged her shoulders once again.

He squeezed her hand. "Hey, do you know who did this? Was it a Slytherin? Was it Malfoy?"

She immediately shook her head at that name.

"Alright then, let's get you some food…after you've changed out of your Quidditch robes."

"Since you took so long to change, I'm pretty sure the food is gone, at least the good stuff." Rose mocked a sad face. "Don't give me that, we're going to the kitchen."

She smiled.

"There's the smile I missed," She stuck her tongue out in response. "Hey now, your favourite twin is being nice here," he mocked hurt by putting the hand on his chest.

"Favourite twin?" She questioned.

"I am your favourite twin," he stated offendedly.

"Hmm…" she wrote as she took the lead going down the staircase, leading to the kitchen.

"What does that mean?" He gasped. He was right on her tail, not realizing the grin on her face.

Or was that his intention all along?

Who can say. . .

Before Rose could tickle the pear, she heard footsteps coming towards them.

"I thought you ate enough," a voice chuckled from behind.

"This one missed her lunch."

Rose looked at the Hufflepuff student and realized it was the same dark-haired boy she saw at the train station.

"Ah, better get in before Professor Sprout spots you," he said before continuing down the stairs.

Rose took it as her cue to start tickling the pear. It squirmed before turning into a knob and they went into the kitchen. Rose grabbed a plate and started putting food from wherever she could see.

"Kitchen was a good choice."

"This is why I'm your favourite twin," he leaned back with his hands behind his head.

"I think you and George are on par."

"What makes you say that?"

"George sneaks in a pumpkin pastie every night."

"That's bribery." He accuses.

"I think of it as payment."

"Payment?"

"Payment for not thinking of it as bribery," she sassed, making him laugh.

"So, why one pastie?" It was known by many, that she could live on it.

"I'm cutting down."

Tonight was the exception.

It wasn't long before they met the trio, Hermione told Rose of the boys' detention with a _"they-did-break-the-rules-it's-only-fair"_ expression.

" _Of course,"_ she thought.

Harry moved his aching hand to what he prayed would be the last enveloped he touched for the night.

" _It must be nearly time to leave,"_ Harry thought miserably. _"Please let it be nearly time."_

And then he heard something, a voice. A voice that would give any student nightmares for days. . .maybe weeks.

" _Come. . . come to me . . .come to me,"_ a voice spoke, giving a chill down the spine.

"What?" He said loudly.

"Sorry?" Lockhart questioned, looking gazed.

"That voice," he states.

"What voice?"

"Didn't you hear it?"

"What are you talking about, Harry? I think you're getting a bit- drowsy," he checked the time. "And great Scott no wonder! Look at the time, we've been here for nearly four hours. Spooky how the time flies when you're having fun," Lockhart says nervously.

Harry remained silent, straining to hear the voice again, but nothing.

It wasn't long until Harry left for the night. Walking down the hallway he abruptly stopped.

" _Blood, I smell blood. . ."_

Harry pressed his ear against the wall.

" _Let me rip you. . . Let me kill you."_

He walked along the wall until he turned a corner.

" _Kill. . .kill. . .kill."_

"Harry!" Hermione called with Ron by her side.

"Did you hear it?"

"Hear what?" Ron said puzzled.

"That voice."

"Voice? What voice?" Hermione was becoming concerned with Harry's behaviour.

"I heard it first in Lockhart's office and again, just-"

" _Kill. . .Time to kill. . ."_ The voice was getting distant.

Harry stiffens, "It's moving, I think it's going to kill." He ran past them, with no plans to stop.

"Harry, wait! Not so fast."

Harry ignored and kept at his pace, taking the stairs three steps at a time. Hurtling around the whole of the second floor, he finally slowed down with Ron and Hermione panting away.

Walking down the corridor, their shoes splashed water all around. The trio got distracted trying to figure out why there was water on the ground.

Hermione gasped as she saw something reflecting on the water.

"What's that?" Ron asked as they all looked down before looking up at the wall.

 **THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED**

 **ENEMIES OF THE HEIR. . . BEWARE**

"It's written in blood."

A bark steered their attention to a few feet away from them.

Prissy whined as she looked up. The trio followed her eyes and gasped.

Hanging by the tail from the torch bracket, was Mrs Norris, stiff as a board with her eyes wide open, glazed.

"Oh no, it's Filch's cat." Rose came into view, panting. It seems Ron and Hermione weren't the only ones following someone in a hurry.

Rose whistled. Prissy walked and sat by her.

"Let's get out of here," Ron said, snapping everyone from their thoughts. "We don't want to be found here."

As if it was jinxed, students started crowding the corridors from every exit. Chatter soon died down when everyone saw the wall.

"Enemies of the heir, beware? You'll be next, Mudbloods!" Of course, it was Malfoy. He made eye-contact with Rose for a split second before looking at Hermione. It was then Rose noticed the bruise on his cheek. A bruise she had caused.

She didn't have time to feel guilty again.

"What's going on here? Go on, make way, make way," Filch was pushing his way through. No one could stop him.

"Potter," he stepped forward. "What are you. . ." his eyes moved behind Harry. Wide with horror. "M-Mrs Norris?" His voice broke.

His eyes fell on Harry in anger. "You've murdered my cat."

"No – I," Harry stumbled over his words.

"I'll kill you," he grabbed a hold of Harry's collar, "I'll kill ya!" He screeched.

"Argus!"

Everyone moved as Dumbledore and a few teachers arrived at the scene.

"Argus, I-," they all looked at the wall, the words written in blood.

"Everyone will proceed to their dormitories immediately," he said as he detached Mrs Norris from the torch bracket. "Everyone except you four. Come with me, Argus, all of you," he gestured to the four.

"My office is nearest, Headmaster, just upstairs -please feel free," Lockhart said all too eagerly.

"Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore.

Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were examining Mrs Norris with Professor Snape and Rose looming over them. The trio were watching from afar with an anxious Prissy while Lockhart rambled making suggestions.

"It was definitely a curse that killed her. Probably the Transmogrifian Torture – I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have spared her…" You could hear Filch's sobs getting louder the more Lockhart ranted.

Rose was watching Professor Dumbledore tapping Mrs Norris with his wand, muttering words, words that weren't completely unfamiliar to her.

She stood by her Headmaster and began to write.

"Has she been pe-" Dumbledore place his hand on top of hers, making her look up. He gave an all-knowing look to not finish her sentence.

"She's not dead, Argus," Dumbledore said softly as he straightened himself.

"Not dead?" Filch chocked, "but she's all – all stiff."

"She has been petrified."

"Ah! I thought so!" No one acknowledged the ranting teacher.

"But how, I cannot say…"

"Ask him!" Filch turned to Harry. "It's him who's done it. You saw what he wrote on the wall," he sobbed. "He knows I'm a squib," he finished.

"It's not true, sir. I swear., I never touched Mrs Norris," Harry looked at Rose for reassurance. "I don't even know what a squib is."

"Rubbish!" Filch barked. "He saw my kwikspell letter!"

"If I might, Headmaster," Snape began. "Perhaps Potter and his friends were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." Rose looked at Professor Snape, earning a glance from him before he returned his focus to Harry. "However, the circumstances are suspicious. I for one, don't recall seeing Potter at dinner."

"I'm afraid that's my doing, Severus. You see, Harry was helping me answer my fan mail."

"That's why Ron and I went looking for him Professor," Hermione spoke uneasily. "We just found him when he said –" Both Ron and Hermione looked at Harry, a look Rose knew.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Snape encouraged her.

"When I said I wasn't hungry," Harry finished her sentence. "We were heading back to the common room when we found Mrs Norris." Snape didn't look convinced at all.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," Dumbledore said as if he read Snape's mind.

Filch looked furious, "my cat has been petrified!" He shrieked, "I want to see some punishment!"

"We will be able to cure her, Argus, "Dumbledore said patiently. "As I understand it, Professor Sprout has a very healthy growth of Mandrakes. Matured, a potion will be made which will revive Mrs Norris."

"I'll make it." Lockhart was completely forgotten for a mere moment despite all his portraits. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep-"

"Excuse me," Snape interrupted. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school," he said coldly.

Quite the awkward silence before someone spoke again.

"In the meantime, I strongly recommend caution, to all." Dumbledore looked at the four, "You may go."

The four, power walked making it to the staircases before they could breathe, let alone talk.

"It's a bit strange, isn't it?" Said Hermione.

"Strange?" Harry asked.

"You hear this voice, a voice only you can hear and then Mrs Norris turns up petrified. It's just...strange," Hermione said concerned.

"D'you think I should have told them? Dumbledore and the others I mean."

"Are you mad?" Ron said a little too loudly.

"No, Harry," Hermione whispered. "Even in the wizarding world, hearing voice isn't a good sign."

For the next few days, all anyone could talk about was the attack on Mrs Norris. It didn't help the fact that Filch was always pacing or attempting to scrub the red words off the wall, but no success.

Ginny was quite disturbed by the whole ordeal, she was a major cat lover. Ron didn't make her feel any better with his ranting, but she enjoyed Priscilla's company, which Rose made sure she got.

The attack had a different effect on Hermione. She became awfully quiet, constantly having her nose in a book. Many would think it was normal but not to Harry and Ron, especially when Rose couldn't get much out of her.

"All the copies of _Hogwarts, A History_ have been taken out," Hermione said in defeat as she sat next to Rose. And there's a two-week waiting list. I wish I hadn't left my copy at home, but I couldn't fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books."

"Why do you want it?" said Harry.

"The same reasons everyone wants it. To read up on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets."

"What's that?"

"That's just it. I can't remember," she was thinking but nothing. "I can't find the story anywhere else."

"Hermione let me read your composition," Ron interrupted desperately.

"No, I won't," she was quick on her words. "You've had ten days to finished it-"

"I only need another two inches, come on-"

Rose gave Ron her composition.

"Quickly before the bells rings," she wrote.

"Rose!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Thank you, Rose!" Ron hurriedly went to finish while Hermione shook her head.

"You can't always be spoon fed, Ron," Hermione said in a strict tone.

"It's only two inches, you've done over four feet and Rose only has done just over three feet. Who should've helped?" Ron fired back at her.

"You've had ten days to do this Ron," Hermione wasn't letting this go. The bell rang, Ron and Hermione bickered their way to class while the duo followed behind.

"I thought helping would stop the bickering," She wrote. Harry and Rose smiled at each other and made their way.

The dullest subject in their schedule had arrived, History of Magic. The only ghost teacher, Professor Binns, opened his notes and began his monotone lecture. If his intentions were to make students sleep or make them daydream, he was doing it right.

"Miss-er-?" Binns was quite surprised, no one has ever interrupted his lesson before.

"Granger, Professor," She cleared her throat, "I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets."

That sparked the student's interest.

Rose was quite intrigued, she wanted answers.

"My subject is History of Magic," Binns said in his wheezy voice. "I deal with facts, Miss Grant, not Myth and legends."

"Please, sir, don't legends always have a basis in fact?"

Professor Binns looked at Hermione in amazement. One to stop his lecture, but to interrupt him when talking? Not many can say they've witnessed it.

"Well," Professor Binns said slowly, "yes, one could argue that I suppose. However, the legend of which you speak is such a ludicrous tale-" He paused at looked at his students. The whole class has never shown such interested until now. "Oh, very well," he began. "Let me see. . .the Chamber of Secrets."

Rose knew about the founding witches and wizards. She knew of the rift that grew between Slytherin and the others. Believing that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families.

Purebloods, a word she didn't quite understand.

Pursing his lips, looking like a wrinkled old tortoise, Binns took a moment before continuing.

"According to legend, Slytherin had built a hidden Chamber in this castle, known as the Chamber of Secrets," he paused, "Though, shortly before departing, he sealed it. Until that time when his own true heir returns to the school." He looked at his class. "The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber, unleash the horror within and by so doing, purge the school in Slytherin view those that were unworthy to study magic."

"Muggle-borns," Hermione spoke out.

Binns was starting to get annoyed, "The whole things is utter nonsense, of course. Naturally, the school has been searched many times, no such chamber has been found. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible."

He probably didn't realise he called nearly the whole school gullible.

"Ah yes, Rosier?"

Rose crinkled her nose, you would think he'd get a single syllable name correct.

"Sir, what exactly do you mean by the 'horror within' the chamber?"

"The chamber is said to be home to something only the heir of Slytherin can control. It is said to be home of a monster."

" _Who is the heir?"_ Rose was feeling very uneasy, just like the night of the attack…she knew it wouldn't be the last but the first of many.

Rose remained in thought the remainder of class and sometime after. The feeling of uneasiness was getting the better of her. She held onto Harry's robe while the four made their way through the corridor.

"D'you _really_ think there's a Chamber of Secrets?" Ron asked Hermione.

"I think so," she replied after some time. Frowning, "Dumbledore couldn't cure Mrs Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be – well -human."

That broke Rose from her thoughts. Before she could write anything, she saw something that brought her to a halt.

"Rose?" Harry called out. She pointed and the trio looked. Spiders were cluttered, fighting their way through a small crack.

"Have you ever seen spiders act like that?" Hermione wondered.

"No, I haven't. Have you, Ron? . . .Ron?" The two looked over their shoulders to see Ron behind Rose, fighting the urge to run.

"I don't' like spiders," Ron said tensing up.

"I never knew that," Hermione said surprised. "You've used spiders in Potions loads of times."

Rose crinkled her nose. "We don't mind them dead," she wrote.

Hermione giggled.

"It's not funny!" Rose knew enough from Fred to know about Ron's fear of spider. But in her case, they just didn't like her.

The feeling was mutual.

Suddenly they heard whining from afar. Come into view was Prissy, staring at the wall. For days she has been moping, sometimes she was doing well. But clearly, it wasn't today.

Rose whistled for her attention and slowly, Prissy walked to her. If she wasn't so big, Rose would've carried her.

"I'm going to take her, I'll see you later," she wrote before walking away.

"Prissy really missed Mrs Norris," Hermione said softly.

Nothing else was said as the trio watched Rose and Prissy walking away.

Hermione had informed Rose on their visit to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and how Percy took five points off Gryffindor which put Ron in a sour mood.

"But if there really is a Chamber of Secrets and it really has been opened-" Harry started as if he was continuing the conversation that they were having before.

"The Heir of Slytherin has returned to Hogwarts," Hermione whispered, "The question is, who is it?"

"Let's think," Ron mocked. "Who do we know who thinks Muggle-borns are scum," like it wasn't completely obvious.

"If you're talking about Malfoy-"

"Of course! You heard him, 'You'll be next, Mudbloods!'"

"Malfoy the Heir of Slytherin? Unlikely," Rose wrote.

"I agree with Rose."

"Maybe Ron is right," Harry said. "I mean, look at his family, the whole lot have been in Slytherin for centuries. He's always boasting about it, he could easily be a descendant of Slytherin."

"Well," Hermione hesitated. "I suppose it's possible," she was uncertain, a feeling she wasn't comfortable with.

"But how do we prove it?" Harry thought aloud.

"Crabbe and Goyle must know," Ron said brightly. "Maybe we could trick them into telling."

Hermione giggled, "Even they aren't that thick. But there might be another way." That peaked their interest. "Mind you, it would be difficult. Not to mention, we'd be breaking about fifty school rules. And it'll be dangerous…very dangerous."

"Out with it," Ron said irritably.

"All right, they really get on each other's nerves. "What we'd need to do is get inside the Slytherin common room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him realizing it's us."

Rose's eyes grew wide, she knew what Hermione was getting at.

"That's impossible," Harry said. Rose nudge Ron to make him stop laughing.

"No, it's not. All we'd need would be some Polyjuice Potion."

"What's that?" The boys said in unison.

" _The twins do it better,"_ Rose thought.

"Snape mentioned it in class a few weeks ago-" Hermione explained what the potion did and how she was going to need a signed note from a teacher to get access of a book in the Restricted section.

"Oh, come on, no teacher's going to fall for that," said Ron.

"They'd have to be really thick…wonder if a certain DADA teacher might fit," Rose wrote. The boys smirked while she got a disapproving look from Hermione.

The plan worked.

The four stayed back after class one day, after a lovely re-enactment by Lockhart featuring Harry. Hermione without knowing fed Lockhart's ego and he signed the permission slip without looking at it. Getting the book itself wasn't a challenge, but Madam Pince eyed them suspiciously. It was unusual for a teacher to give written permission for a student to take _Moste Potente Potions_ from the Restricted section.

"Here it is," Hermione said as she flipped another page. "The Polyjuice potion, properly brewed, the Polyjuice potion allows the drinker to transform himself temporarily into the Physical form of another."

"You mean, if Harry and I drink that stuff, we'd turn into Crabbe and Goyle?"

"Yes."

"Wicked! Malfoy will tell us anything"

"Exactly. But it's tricky, I've never seen a more complicated potion."

"You can do it," Hermione gave a small smile to Rose.

"Well, how long will it take to make?" Harry asked.

"A month."

"A month? But Hermione if Malfoy is the Heir of Slytherin, he could attack half the Muggle-borns in the school by then."

"I know, but it's the only plan we've got." And that was that.

Good Luck on today's match.

You've already made us proud.

Rose placed her note into her robes while Howler was sitting on her shoulder, eating his toast. The Great Hall was full. Today is the first Quidditch game of the season, Gryffindor vs Slytherin. No one's going to miss it.

It wasn't looking good for Gryffindor. The fact that Slytherin had the latest broomsticks played a strong role in the match. It didn't help that Harry had a tampered Bludger constantly on this tail. The twins could only do so much.

"Another score for Slytherin. They lead sixty to ten," Jordan announced. "Only score so far from Gryffindor has been from new Chaser, Rose! Hard to take the Quaffle with those broomsticks that were used as a bribe to-"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor," McGonagall always keeping a close watch on Jordan.

"Time out has been authorised. Gryffindor huddling on the ground and Slytherin in the sky."

"What's going on?" said Wood as the Gryffindor team got together. "We're being flattened. Fred, George, where were you when the Bludger stopped Angelina scoring?"

"We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from murdering Harry, Oliver," George said angrily. "Someone's fixed it -it won't leave Harry alone."

Harry watched as the twins and Wood were getting into a heated discussion over Harry's choice of wanting to deal with the rogue Bludger alone. Rose even offered to take his spot if Madam Hooch allowed.

The boys were considering the position change. "No, I want to play," Harry said, slightly hurt that they were talking about him and not asking him.

"Ready to resume play?" Madam Hooch asked.

Wood looked at Harry who gave him a nod. "Yes…Alright, Fred, George, you heard Harry."

Madam Hooch whistled, and the game continued.

All Rose could think about was Harry, not easy to focus.

Harry dodged the Bludger once again, searching for the Golden Snitch.

"Alright there Scarhead?" Malfoy shouted.

Before Harry could respond, the Bludger came from behind, mere inches from his head.

"Watch yourself, Harry!" Wood warned. The bludger reversed directions and came back aiming at Harry.

"Wood! Look out!" But it was too late. The bludger had knocked him off his broom.

Harry had no time to see if Wood was alright as the Bludger was on his tail once again. Harry manoeuvred between towers, he faked a turn, which bought him some time.

"Training for the ballet, Potter?" Harry looked at Malfoy. There it was, the Golden Snitch hovering inches from Malfoy's ear. Malfoy was laughing too much, to notice.

Harry chased after the Snitch with Malfoy and the Bludger after him. Eventually, both were side by side chasing the Snitch.

Meanwhile, Rose was doing her best to score. Her broom was the only one closest to matching Slytherin Chasers. Just as she scored, she heard a yelp and saw Malfoy on the grass.

She then saw Harry closing distance with the Snitch.

" _Go, Harry!"_

He had his arm out, fingers so close to touching it.

 _ **WHAM!**_

The bludger had hit his arm. Most likely breaking it, the searing pain was slowly increasing.

Harry didn't give up, he used his left hand to reach for the Snitch while his legs held onto the broom.

He soon lost control and fell off his broom in the sand.

With the Golden Snitch in his grasp.

"Harry Potter has caught the Snitch, Gryffindor wins!" Jordan announced.

Before Harry could even sigh in relief, the Bludger came right at his head, he managed to dodge it.

The Bludger came right at him but this time something else made contact with it.

Mere seconds before Harry caught the Snitch, Rose bolted to him. The second time the bludge attempted to hit Harry, Rose punched it out of the way. And the third time.

The bludger was coming back and Rose just sacrificed her hands.

"Finite Incantatem!"

Hermione arrived in the nick of time. The Bludger was now cascaded on the ground.

"Are you guys okay?" Hermione asked.

"I think I broke my arm," Harry said.

"Not to worry. Harry" Lockhart said. "I'll fix that arm of yours straight away."

"Oh, no, not you." Rose nodded. Nothing good would come out of it.

"He doesn't know what he's saying," Lockhart pushed Harry sleeve back. "This won't hurt a bit." Everyone gathered around, some were nervous for Harry, for many reasons.

Lockhart took out his wand and pointed to Harry's arm. "Brackium Emendo!" There was a flash of light. A proud Lockhart lifted Harry's arm to only have it flop.

He didn't heal Harry's broken arm but removed all the bones in it.

Madam Pomfrey would not be pleased.

She wasn't.

"You should have come straight to me!" She was upset. "I can mend bones in a heartbeat but growing them back."

"You will be able to, won't you?" Hermione said worriedly.

"Oh, I'll be able to certainly, but it'll be painful. You're in for a rough night, Potter. Regrowing bones is a nasty business." She gave Harry a cup. He intended to swallow the contents, but it tasted so horrid he spat it out.

"What do you expect? Pumpkin juice?" She repoured, "Drink all of it." She turned and looked at Rose. "Someone take off her gloves, I'll be right back."

Fred stepped up and started to loosen her gloves.

"She hissed. "Does it hurt?" She nodded. "Dumb move Rose, punching a bludger out of the way? You could've bones a lot of bones." He caressed her hands with his thumbs, "At least Lockhart didn't get to your hands." She nodded.

"Let me see your hands," Madam Pomfrey, making Fred jerk away fast.

"I'll come by later, Rose." She whistled in response

" _Odd."_

"Rose…You'll have to stay the night. You've practically shattered your hands, Rose. Don't do this again."

She nodded, looking at her swollen hands.

Rose was up all night, watching Harry and sponging his forehead occasionally. As Rose was about to get into her head, she heard Harry awake.

"Dobby?"

"Harry Potter should've listened to Dobby, Harry Potter should've gone back home when he missed the train."

"It was you," Harry accused. "It was you who stopped the barrier from letting me and Ron through. We could've gotten expelled."

"Indeed, yes sir," Dobby said sadly. "At least you would be away from here."

Dobby continued explaining the reasons behind his actions, even the rogue Bludger.

"Why do you keep looking at Rose like that?

"I don't trust her, sir. Master always mentions her since he first met her."

" _What does that mean?"_

"Well I trust her, she broke her own hands to save me from your Bludger," Harry was getting angry and Rose didn't know how to calm him.

A sound was heard from the hallway, startling all of them.

"Listen, terrible things are about to happen at Hogwarts. Harry Potter must not stay here, now that history is about to repeat itself."

"Repeat itself? This has happened before?"

"I shouldn't have said that," Dobby went to find something to hit himself with.

Harry grabbed the object from him. "Stop Dobby. Tell me when this has happened before. Who's doing it now?"

"Dobby cannot say, sir. Dobby only wants Harry Potter to be safe."

"Dobby, tell me. Who is it?" All Dobby did was click his fingers and he vanished.

Footsteps were getting closer, Harry quickly got into bed, pretending to sleep.

"Put him here. What happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked. They put the student down.

"There's been another attack," Dumbledore stated.

"I think...I think he's been petrified, Madam Pomfrey," McGonagall observed. Rose noticed it was camera boy.

"Perhaps he managed to take a picture of his attacker."

Dumbledore carefully pulled out the camera from his grasp. He opened the camera only for the film to combust.

"What can this mean, Albus?"

"It means that our students are in great danger."

"What should I tell the stuff?"

"The truth. Tell them Hogwarts is no longer safe. It is what we feared Minerva," He paused, "the Chamber of Secrets has indeed been opened again."

All three, Dumbledore, McGonagall and Pomfrey looked at Rose, who was staring at Creevey, wide-eyed and scared.

"But, Albus…surely…who?"

" _It is the creepy voice behind the walls?"_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

 _She walked into the forest, wind blowing the fallen leaves across her path. The full moon shining in the starless sky._

 _She took the time to admire it, despite the headaches it sometimes gives her._

 _A howl was heard bringing her back to reality._

 _Barefooted, she ran going further and further into the heart of the forest. A pounding headache erupted her thoughts. Steps could be heard, gaining behind her._

 _The sound of crushing leaves ringing in her ears._

 _Frightened to look she ran faster, ignoring the ache in her feet. Not looking ahead, she tripped. Before she could get up, she knew it was over. She slowly turned to see the one she feared cowering over her with a sinister smile._

 _All she could do was scream._

She jolted upright, her chest rising and falling fast.

Sweat was dripping from her forehead.

" _Again…I can't remember."_

Once she regained composure, she used the blanket to wipe the sweat away. She then took her surroundings in.

It was still dark, Rose must've only been sleeping for a couple of hours, Harry was asleep soundlessly. The bed where Creevey was placed in, had its curtains covering him.

" _So, it wasn't a dream."_

She knew she couldn't sleep for a while, so she slowly got out of bed. It was times like this where she would watch the fire burn in the common room and eventually sleep. She softly tucked in her furry friend before sneaking out of the wing.

The one thing she'll never admit is how much her height was an advantage for sneaking away.

It was a good ten minutes before she spotted a prefect on the floor.

" _Walk faster Weasley, just straight on you go. No, not my way, other way,"_ If only Percy could hear her thoughts. Rose turned around to hide but collided with a figure, it was clear that it wasn't a pillar.

For obvious reasons.

She slowly raised her head to meet the eyes she wasn't expecting.

He had the usual scrawl on his face before he moved and stood behind Rose, with his back to her.

"Mr Weasley, I suggest you head down another corridor since I've just been here," he said dully.

More pleasantries were exchanged before she felt a gushed of wind in her face, caused by a certain professor's black robes no doubt.

"Miss Rose, what may I ask are you doing out of bed at this hour?"

" _You ask like I can answer,"_ she shrugged her shoulders and gave a small smile at him.

He sighed loudly before walking away from her. Rose stood there, mildly confused about the situation.

"Keep up," he said turning his head to the side, the corner of his eye watching her. Rose quickly followed suit, wondering where Professor Snape was going.

"Just like your mother, wandering around at night being curious about anything and everything," he muttered.

That sparked her interested, she looked up at him hoping he'd continue.

" _No one talks about her…no one talks about them."_

Snape looked down at her, knowing what her eyes were telling him. "She was kind," he said softly. He looked on ahead, "but someone you could never get rid of if you tried...always there for you." There was silence between the two before he cleared his throat. "Now, I expect you to head to bed, I better not catch you again tonight, or I might have to take points off," his tone had returned to normal, like the conversation never took place.

But they both knew it did, and they both knew she wouldn't let it go.

Maybe it was his intention.

Who was Rose's mother to Snape?

She fell asleep with a dream she wondered if it was an actual memory.

 _She ran along with Priscilla to the front door seeing it being opened. Thinking it was her father but came at a stop seeing a hooded figured close the door behind him._

 _He was smiling at her._

 _A-not-so-innocent smile, she couldn't see the eyes. She was only then aware that Priscilla was nowhere to be found._

" _Come, little girl," the man said, "let me see how much you've grown," he gestures by opening his arms. "You've grown up much since I've last laid eyes on you." Thinking he was someone familiar, she walks to him with her tiny little feet, a moment later, she felt him carrying her, looking at her curiously before placing her on his side._

 _He felt cold._

 _His skin was pale like he could be made from snow. Eventually, she tried to wiggle out of his grasp._

" _You're staying with me," his voice became stern. "Let's go and see what your mother is up to," he headed towards the stairs, moving swiftly._

" _Kitchen," was all she said to stop his movements. She points in another direction, "Momma in kitchen."_

 _She heard a gasp. The little toddler moved around to see her mother horrified._

" _You get away from my daughter, NOW!" She shrieked._

" _Oh, I think you've kept her away from me for too long," he smirked._

 _Her mother balled up her fist in rage, "Get away, you monster!"_

Harry woke up to winter sunlight shining in the room. He looked at Colin's bed but was covered by curtains. He couldn't tell if he was still on the bed or not, he moved his gaze to the side of him, looking at Rose. Sleeping with Prissy in her arms with a frown on her face.

" _Wonder what she's dreaming."_

Madam Pomfrey came into view as she examined his arm. "Good, after your breakfast you may leave," she said in a harsh whisper.

"Thank you," he hesitated for a moment, "Rose?"

She looked at the girl before speaking, "she should be fit to leave after some more rest." Giving a small smile to Harry, she left to attend to the other patients.

Rose opened her eyes wide, staring at the ceiling. Attempting to control her heavy breathing, she distracted herself by looking at the surrounding, taking in the sunlight.

" _Did I have the same dream again?"_ Rubbing her eyes with the base of her palm, she blinked a few times before sitting upright. She noticed a folded piece of parchment on her table and noted in her mind to read it later.

"You've finally woken up, you seemed to have rested well." It was as if Madam Pomfrey was eyeing the girl, waiting for her to wake up. "Let's see how it looks."

Their eyes were on her hands, watching the bandages unravel to see the verdict. "It's looking good," Madam Pomfrey observed, she touched Rose's hand, causing the girl to hiss. "You did miss your morning dose," she sighed. "I'll have to see how you fair today, if not you're staying another night."

Rose nodded looking at her hands.

" _They look fine, but they hurt, I wonder if this is what the rats feel when Priscilla eats them. . .assuming they were still alive at that point."_

"Rose, did you hear me?" Rose gave Madam Pomfrey her attention with a sheepy smile. "I said, since you can't use your hand, I've enchanted the cutlery for you." With that, she left leaving Rose to her dancing fork and spoon.

An hour later, the trio visited Rose. All sitting on her bed, informing her what they were discussing in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom hours before. She was glad that they weren't hiding anything from her, she felt included, somewhat important to the trio.

"Majority of what we need to make the Polyjuice Potion is in Snape's storeroom," Hermione began. "During Potions' class, Harry and Ron are going to create a diversion while I go and get the remaining ingredients needed."

"Is that wise, Hermione?" Rose got a 'bewitched' chalk to do her writing, she was going to use the spell in the future.

"It's the best plan we've got."

"Why don't I be the distraction? I could distract him after class and prolong him from leaving the classroom early.

"Perfect."

"Brilliant," The boys were all too eager to answer.

"What would you talk about?" Hermione wasn't confident about the change of plans.

"Potions," Rose gave a look. "It's better than the boys getting caught and expelled from their clumsiness."

"I suppose that's true,"

"We're not clumsy, Rose," Ron said offended.

"Clumsy enough to get caught." That left a speechless Ron, a laughing Hermione and a smiling Harry.

News of Creevey had gotten around. The trio were excited about the Duelling club and how it'll be having its first meeting after dinner. Rose, however, didn't get the green light from Pomfrey and was to stay in bed. She left as if she was going to miss out on something important.

"So, we heard that you're able to finally sleep in your bed tonight."

"We took it upon ourselves to escort you back to the common room."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"George, she probably hasn't heard yet."

" _I did miss something after all."_ She followed the twins and they made their way to the common room.

"Harry is a Parselmouth, did you know?" Fred asked as they took the stairs. The twins had narrated the events up until the snake Malfoy conjured was right in front of Justin Finch-Fletchley.

"Fred don't get excited," George nudged his brother. "Harry started speaking in Parseltongue, he was telling the snake to do something, and it didn't look good at all."

"It looked like he was getting the snake to bite Justin or something," this time Rose nudged him. "I'm just telling you what I saw Rose. You know what they say about those that speak Parseltongue," Fred said playfully.

Rose smiled but internally, she was worried more for Harry than anyone else.

Out of nowhere Peeves swooped down, but they all ducked with ease. "No fun," Peeves muttered before disappearing. Just like first year, completely unsuccessful in his mission.

Word of what happened at the Duelling Club was the hot topic. Didn't help that it involved Harry. Students were weary, Rose didn't know how to comfort him.

Double Potions lesson was coming up, Rose was bittersweet about it. She loved potions not so much as the treatment she received, what made it bittersweet was that she had to create a diversion.

She hoped a certain topic would do the trick. If it failed, well let's hope Hermione is good at sneaking out of rooms.

Snape was tapping his foot with his arms crossed, waiting for Rose to leave the room. She was taking an awfully long time which was wearing his patience. "Why exactly are you here, Rose?"

"You said something about my momma," she wrote, she was glad to write for herself again.

"Hmm? When?" Rose gave him a blank look. Who was he trying fool? He sighed, "she always roamed around the grounds at night, it was because of me, no points were taken from our house."

If she had ears, they would've perked up instantly, "Our?"

Snape looked at Rose, never blinking. "Your mother was in Slytherin," he said it as if it was the most known fact in the world. He kept staring at her face, examining her, "so it's true, you really don't have either of their eyes."

"Who said that? Wait," she paused, trying to process everything, "you knew my parents?"

Nodding he answered, "I knew them. Your father always questions why you never had their eyes. They are nonetheless pretty." They was a pause between them.

" _How much does he know?"_

"We will talk another time Rose, it appears you have others waiting." He tilted his head to the door. Rose turned to see the trio looking at her, Ron more scared then the norm. Hermione, however, had a smile.

Mission was a success.

Rose took her belongings and dashed to her friends, feeling Snape's eyes on her as the four walked away.

"If you distract him like that, I can definitely get all the ingredients."

"You didn't get anything?"

"Of course not, Snape is smart, we need to figure out more before we begin the potion," and that was that.

Weeks flew by like leaves being blown by the wind. Trade of talismans, protective devices were going around the students. Neville had bought one for Rose to thank her for helping him with a couple of subjects. She wasn't one to decline gifts, even if they might not work.

Halloween was most peaceful compared to the previous year with the troll. Though Professor McGonagall found her sneaking away pumpkin pasties which she wouldn't let slide. It was a Halloween Rose didn't want to remember.

Rose decided not to attend the duelling club since the twins were teaching her everything they learnt. Anyone that wasn't Lockhart could be her teacher any day...She felt she would have to retract that statement in the future, there might be more to add to that line.

Who knows.

It had been a full two months since Rose had been in this position. Hermione had to remind her time and time again during Potions to talk to Professor Snape.

" _He knew my mother, I didn't know."_

"I was wondering if this was the other time?" She wrote.

"I'm very busy." Rose gave her best pleading face; a lot was riding on this conversation. "Very well," he caved.

"What was she like?" she began writing.

"Hard to say."

"How close were you to my mother?"

"Hard to say." She frowned.

"Tell me something about her." She demanded.

"She was smart, she was a close friend that would break every rule known to wizards and witches and I had to cover her mess."

"You cared for you dearly," she stated, her eyes softening.

"Of course," he scoffed. "She would get on my nerves like you are doing right now. I need to go to my office."

"Did you approve of my parents?"

He was taken aback by that question, why would his opinion matter?

"You should ask someone who was closer to them."

"You seem to know my mother better than anyone I know." No one talks of her.

There was a moment before he spoke. "My office is open to discuss. . .but only small amounts," he hesitated. He looked like he was in pain.

" _What did my mother mean to you?"_

His head snapped and met her eyes as if he heard her thought.

"I believe I have given sufficient homework but if you keep persisting, I won't hesitate to give more."

She smiled before heading to the door. _"At least he didn't threaten house points this time."_

Morning Herbology class was cancelled as Professor Sprout was attending to the Mandrakes, the four decided to do some self-study in the library. They weren't the only ones to have that idea as there was already a group of Hufflepuffs at a table, not too far away from Madam Pince.

It was about half an hour into studying that Rose decided to get Harry's attention.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Harry said, more quickly than usual. She knew he wasn't fine, after the whole ordeal and rumours going around about him opening the Chamber of Secrets, you'd think Harry is having an identity crisis.

He probably is. . . amongst other things.

Before she could write some more, Harry packed up his things and got up. With the silence that comes along with being in a library, all eyes were on him.

Rose knew he could feel eyes on him way before this moment, he reeked of stress.

"I'll see you back in the common room," he left without waiting for a reply.

Once Harry was out of sight, the Hufflepuffs gathered closer whispering loudly enough for Rose to hear.

"I told Justin to hide out in our dormitory, to keep a low profile after he slipped out to Potter that he was Muggle-born," Macmillan whispered.

"You think Potter's the Heir of Slytherin?"

"Hannah, he's a Parselmouth. That's the mark of a dark wizard, everyone knows that."

"But he always seems so nice. After all, he is the one that made You-Know-Who disappear."

"You-Know-Who probably didn't want another Dark Lord competing with him, which is why he-"

 _ **THUD**_

Everyone turned to see Rose pick up her book and dust it off as nothing happened, her eyes never leaving Macmillan's. You could hear his gulp, he knew she heard.

Rose packed up her things and left without a second thought. She wanted to think a bit more, so she took the long route to the common room. As much as she wanted to see if Harry was alright, she too needed to clear her mind.

She turned a corner only to collide with someone.

"Watch wher- Baby Gryffindor, what are you doing here?" He sounded surprised. Of course, he would, they haven't been this close since the incident on the Quidditch field.

"Walking back to the common room," she wrote.

"Oh," he scratched the back of his head.

They just stood there, who knows for how long.

"Parkinson won't like this."

"Why do you care what she thinks?" He became irritable at the mention of her name. "Is she still-," he paused when he saw her blackboard.

She wrote, "I'm sorry,"

"For what?"

"Your cheek and sorry again for not apologising sooner."

"I-It's fine," he stammered.

" _He's getting red, does he have a cold?"_

"I need to head back, and don't bump into any more people," he turns and speed walks away.

Rose was heading the other direction when she notices a piece of paper on the floor. She instantly recognised it because it was the exact same one, she picked up in Flourish and Blotts. She turned to only see an empty corridor, Draco was nowhere to be found.

" _I'll have to return this later,"_ she placed the paper in her pocket and went on her way.

"ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE!" Rose instantly knew it was Peeves and followed the troublesome ghost's voice to come across a scene she wasn't expecting. Nearly Headless Nick floating mere inches from the ground with a frozen Justin at his feet.

"Rose, Rose!" She looked ahead and saw Professor McGonagall calling her. "Take Potter to his office before students come." Rose nodded before pulling Harry by his robe sleeve to follow her. They managed to get away before students came, but with Peeves presence, it may not be kept a secret for long.

"I swear I didn't do it," Harry blurted out.

"I believe you Harry," Rose gave a small smile as they made their way to a stone gargoyle.

"Lemon drop!" Harry said reading Rose's blackboard, he immediately knew why as the now alive gargoyle moved to the side as the wall opened to reveal a moving spiral staircase. Harry followed Rose closely as she stepped onto the staircase. You can tell he was nervous, shouldn't expect anything less.

Waiting for the Headmaster in his office, Harry spoke to the Hat while Rose stayed with Fawkes who looked sick, more like terrible. Prissy was there accompanying Fawkes by the looks of it. Just as Professor Dumbledore came into the room, the phoenix became a fireball then instantly turned to a pile of ash.

While Rose was calm of the situation, Harry, however, freaked out like no other.

"Professor," he shrieked. "Your bird, he just caught...I couldn't do anything," he gasped.

Rose silently giggled, _"Poor Harry."_

While Rose attended to Fawkes, watching him peek from his ashes, Dumbledore was explaining to Harry how fascinating creatures' phoenixes were. Preoccupied with Prissy and baby Fawkes, she paid no attention to Hagrid bursting into the office until Dumbledore called his name loudly.

"I do not think that Harry attacked those people," the Headmaster stated.

"Oh," flustered Hagrid, "I'll wait outside then," he slowly crept out of the office with a face red like a tomato.

"Harry, I must ask you if there is anything, you'd like to tell me," Professor Dumbledore spoke, "Anything at all," he emphasised.

You could tell by the frown on Harry's face that he was thinking. "No," he finally said.

Professor looked at Rose from afar, seeing if she was paying attention. She was, they shared a knowing look before the duo left his office.

People were more shocked that a ghost had been petrified over what happened with Justin. If a ghost could be harmed, was anyone safe? Due to the uproar, many students were considering going home given Harry was staying. Everyone was avoiding Harry like the black plague, a lot of mutters and pointing whenever he entered a room. It was worse than first year, however, the twins found it amusing, using Harry to get through the corridors quicker.

"Make way for the Heir of Slytherin," though their prefect brother did not approve of their antics. Rose knew the twins were also trying to lighten Harry spirits, no one wants to be accused of all the petrification in school, or in general.

Christmas holidays was finally here, while the trio was excited that Malfoy and his goons were staying back for them to use the Polyjuice potion, it was always this of the year where Rose wondered about her life. She remained more quiet than usual, something Hermione grew worried about her. No one knew what was going on in Rose's head.

Whenever the trio talked about the Polyjuice potion, she would think of Professor Snape, and her mind would go straight to her mother, thinking about everything that had happened and everything that can happen. She refused to sleep in her own bed but stayed by the fire. Sometimes, Hermione would join her, like a sleepover despite them sharing a dorm room together.

Like many years prior, Rose would be standing at the edge of the Dark Forest, gazing. It would escalate to Firenze, sometimes Bane or Ronan, taking Rose back to Hagrid. It became a regular occurrence during the holiday festivities, a routine that could not be broken.

She didn't want to feel like she was different.

One night, Hermione saw McGonagall bring Rose back to the dorm room, she couldn't hear what the professor was saying but she knew enough to know that she was comforting Rose. Hermione now understood why Rose wasn't keeping an eye on Ron and Harry the previous year, she has a lot going on, hopefully, things she could tell Hermione when she's comfortable.

"I've filled these with a Sleeping Draught," Hermione held two chocolate iced cupcakes, "simple but powerful," she places them in front of Harry and Ron, gesturing them to take it. "Once Crabbe and Goyle are asleep, pluck out a few of their hairs, you need the hairs of the person you're changing into."

"Whose hair you ripping out then?" Ron questioned.

"Bulstrode, I've already got her hair," she shows a small bottle with brown hair in it.

"Make sure you put the cupcakes where only Crabbe and Goyle can find them, once they're out, put them in the broom closet," Rose wrote.

"Exactly, we can't have anyone finding out our plan."

"What will you two be doing?" Harry chimed in.

"We need to get Slytherin robes from laundry," Rose scrunched up her nose when she wrote that. Can only hope they get clean ones without needing to go through the dirty loads.

Soon after, the boys left and moments later the girls left the Great Hall to get the clothes.

"Ah, the Mudbloods sticking together," she mocked. "Your blackboard looks unscathed like it never shattered in the first place," Rose knew that voice all too well. As they left the Hall, they were stopped by know other than Nosy Porkinson. It was a name Rose was very proud to have created.

Rose grabbed Hermione's wrist and walked passed Parkinson, ignoring all the yelling.

"What did she mean Rose? Did she do something to the blackboard?" Rose only shrugged her shoulders in response. From the laundry until they reached Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, Hermione refused to drop the subject.

It was only dropped once the boys came out from the stalls, dressed in Slytherin robes.

"We have to drink that?" Harry questioned. Rose was relieved she didn't have to drink it. It didn't look the least bit appealing nor did the scent.

"Yes, we have exactly an hour before we change back," she nodded to the three cups filled with Polyjuice Potion. They each took a glass, "add the hairs." As the hairs combined with the potion, it hissed and frothed before turning into a colour. A colour depending on whose essence they had.

Rose watched the trio drink their potions before they all dashed in separate toilet stalls.

Two stall doors opened to reveal Crabbe and Goyle. All Rose could do was scrunch up her nose.

"I liked you better before," she wrote. Harry smiled, well Goyle did.

"Hermione?" said Ron.

"I, I don't think I'm going, you go on without me."

"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry said through the door.

"Just go, you're wasting time."

"You guys better go, I'll stay with her," Rose wrote. The boys nodded and made their way to the Slytherin common room.

" _Do they know where the common room is?"_

"Rose, it wasn't Bulstrode's hair I pulled from her robes." She didn't have to say more.

"Wait 'till you see, it's awful," Moaning Myrtle giggled. Rose rolled her eyes.

Rose knocked on Hermione's door. "I'm not coming out!"

"Please?" Rose put her board under the stall for Hermione to see.

"No." Rose huffed and folded her arms.

There was a short silence between the two before Hermione spoke again, "I'll come out if you tell me what Parkinson meant about the board."

"You'll be in there for a while."

"Rose!" She shrieked.

"Hermione," she wrote. What Hermione couldn't see was the cheeky smile on Rose's face.

"Rose, could you please tell me? I don't want to think the worst," she said softly.

"What's to tell? They got mad I hit Malfoy that day on the field."

"The day he called me a-"

"Yes. They broke the board, but Fred mended it, so no harm done."

"No harm done? Rose, they damaged a student's property, it's your way to talk, Rose." You could hear the hurt in her voice.

"But I hit a student."

"It's Malfoy, his father never came to school, he's over it." Rose was getting worried about her best friend's attitude. She smiled at her possessiveness.

" _Now I wonder how she'd act if someone broke my heart. . .she'd either hit them or threaten with her spells. Or worse, hard to say."_

"Rose, if I remembered to bring your board that day, this wouldn't have happened, right?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Hermione, it's already happened, I'm okay."

"But…"

"There are no scratches, it looks as new as it can be."

"So, this was just because of the scene on the field?"

"What do you think?"

Meanwhile, the boys now know that Malfoy wasn't the Heir of Slytherin, but was very narrowed-minded like his father, happy that the Heir was ridding all the Mudblood filth. Malfoy clearly didn't fancy how Dumbledore was running the school with all the attacks not being disclosed in the papers, he, however, found it amusing how Arthur Weasley was facing an inquiry about the Muggle enchanted car for which the boys didn't find it humorous at all. He did mention about the raid going on from the Ministry and a certain Weasley was going to owl another about a certain secret chamber hidden under the drawing-room floor in the Malfoy Manor.

That's what happens when you ill-talk about a Weasley.

"My father did say this, the last time the Chamber of Secrets opened was fifty years ago and the person was expelled for it. The last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died. It's only a matter of time before another one dies, this time I hope it's Granger," he smirked. "I wonder if Rose would-"

"Rose is a pure-blood!"

"A pure-blood? How would you know Goyle?" Malfoy was shocked.

"Ah-I-I heard from the gamekeeper."

"That giant? He's not one to lie," Malfoy concluded. "If she is a pureblood, which line is she from?"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12

For several weeks Hermione stayed in the hospital wing. Many students assumed she was attacked, while others tried to get a glimpse of her, deliberating passing by the wing. No one knew of the incident nor did anyone know she still had a tail. Madam Pomfrey didn't ask any questions but aided Hermione on a steady recovery.

She was adamant to not be left behind once the new term started and made sure Rose passed her, her homework.

Every evening Rose and herself would be found studying on her bed.

Every evening the boys had to drag Rose away.

And every evening Prissy came to keep Hermione company for the night. Like a guard wolf, she too got attached to Hermione as she did with Rose.

Occasionally Longbottom was seen studying with the girls. He needed to keep up or he wouldn't hear the end of it from his grandmother.

"You're still sleeping with that under your pillow?" Rose wrote, she could see the card sticking out from underneath her pillow. Hermione tucked it back out of sight as a response. Her 'concerned' DADA teacher gave her that get-well card weeks ago and she still had it in the same spot.

"I want to be able to read it whenever I want," she flushed.

"Of course, you do. Better put it in your bag unless you want Madam Pomfrey to find it when she cleans the sheets."

"Oh right," she took the card and carefully placed it in her bag, "I'm finally able to leave," she sighed in content.

"Let's go, I'm cold."

"Alright," she took her bag and they made their way to their common room. "Why don't you wear the cloak you got for Christmas last year?"

Rose whistled lowly in response.

Hermione understood and laughed.

Rose's eyebrows joined her at her frustration. She was still too short to wear the cloak outside. She didn't want to damage it.

"Let's hope you grow more by third year." Rose whistled happily.

" _I can't be this small for long."_

Once the girls reached the common room, they were bombarded by the boys. They urgently wanted to show Hermione what they had found in Myrtle's bathroom.

"Fifty years ago?" Hermione questioned. "Are you sure?" Held in her hand was the black book that was in discussion. A book that was still soggy from being on the floor of a flooded bathroom.

"Yes. Why?" Harry was confused.

Rose whistled and tapped her board. "Didn't Malfoy tell you the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago?"

"You think that's how Tom Riddle got the Special Services award? He caught the Heir of Slytherin?" Ron was unsure if he was correct.

"I think so," Hermione said in confidence. Ron's face lit up.

" _Pat yourself on the back Ron."_

"His diary could probably tell us what we need know, where the Chamber is or even who opened it."

"Brilliant theory," Harry interjected. "Just one flaw Hermione, there's nothing written in his diary." Hermione never thought of that, she opened the diary herself to see.

No words.

Hermione never lost hope, she used different incantations to see if anything would show. While the trio was trying to figure out the diary, Rose patted Priscilla. Rose wasn't interested in the diary, whenever she looked at it, she had a cold chill down her spine, it wasn't good news.

There was something off about the diary, but she wasn't going to be near it to find out.

After a couple of weeks of not getting anywhere with the diary, Harry decided to sit down with it one night. He had the spontaneous idea to write in it, an idea that was certainly rewarding. Through the diary, he spoke to non other than Tom Riddle. A version of Tom Riddle that knew what Harry wanted to know. Like a version of Tom Riddle, he himself showed a version of the Truth that implicated a friend of Harry's was not innocent like they thought.

Harry dashed to Ron's bed to wake him up.

"What's up?" Said Ron, concerned.

"It was Hagrid, Ron. Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago."

"It was him, Hermione," Harry told her again as they walked down the hall. "We always knew Hagrid had been expelled, we just didn't know for what." The four were thinking of Hagrid, who had a thing to look after creatures. Hagrid was harmless, but the creatures he raised?

"Just because he looked after fluffy and Nobert doesn't mean he let a monster harm the students," Rose wrote. She wasn't amused by Harry accusing Hagrid of something so vile. She understood that he wanted to find the culprit, so people wouldn't look at him differently, but that didn't give him the right to make assumptions. After all, Rose knew the reason why Hagrid got expelled.

"That's what Tom Riddle-"

"Exactly, this Tom Riddle," Ron interrupted, "We don't even know him, he sounds like a dirty snitch, like," he clicked his fingers, the name was on the tip of his tongue.

"Percy," she whistled.

"Exactly," he gleamed, then gulped. "Don't tell him I said that, we wouldn't hear the end of it."

"Ron, the monster had killed someone, what would you have done?" Harry wasn't going to waver.

"Hagrid's our friend," Hermione said, getting the boys' attention.

" _And family."_

"Why don't we just go ask him about it?"

Ron scoffed, "Well that'll be a cheerful visit. 'Hagrid, tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately.'"

"Mad an' hairy? Yer wouldn' be talkin' abou' me, now would yer?" The four turned around to meet Hagrid, who was right behind them.

"No," the trio said all too quickly. Rose stood beside Hagrid like it was Hagrid and herself against the world.

"What's that you've got, Hagrid," Harry tried his best to change the topic, but they all knew Hagrid looked at them suspiciously.

"Flesh-Eatin' Slug Repellent. Yer know, fer the Mandrakes." He continued, "Accordin' to Professor Sprout, they still got a bit o' growin' up ter do, but once their acne clears up, we'll be able to chop 'em up, and stew 'em."

Rose made a face. _"As long as their leaves aren't in your mouth, you're fine. It's not pleasant."_

"I better get goin'" Rose tugged on his coat.

"Can I come?" she wrote.

"Did yeh all wan' ter come?" Before he could get a response, Rose pulled Hagrid away from the trio.

The trio just stared blankly. "She is mad?" Harry asked.

"Of course, she is. You just accused her friend of opening the Chamber of Secrets." Hermione whisper yelled.

"We've known him just the same, so-" Ron began.

"She's known Hagrid longer than us." She stated.

"Did she tell you that?"

"No, I saw them exchange glances after she was placed in Gryffindor last year, didn't you see?"

"No." Harry shook his head.

"I was focused on the food," Ron admitted quietly.

"Of course, you were," she rolled her eyes at the boys.

"Why didn' yer wan' 'em ter come?" He looked down casually as they walked. They passed a dashing Neville before she started writing.

"I wanted to spend more time with you."

He smiled widely, "Yer've been hangin' out with me a lot lately, everythin' okay?"

She nodded.

"If yer say so," he knew not to push.

"Any idea on the roosters?" She remembered him telling her about their killings. She felt like the roosters were important, she remembered reading about them but couldn't remember what they were connected to.

"No," Hagrid slumped.

"I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of it."

While Hagrid and Rose went to give the repellent to Professor Sprout, the trio were up in the boys' room, seeing Harry's belongings scattered. Tom Riddle's diary was taken, but by who and why?

By Easter the four had other things to think about, such as choosing subjects for third year. All she knew for certain was that she planned to take Care of Magical Creatures.

 _Your grades are exceptional, take the subjects that appeal to you the most._

 _Be safe and don't wander the halls on your own._

" _That doesn't help me choose at all. Do I take divination or not?"_ All Rose knew was that she certainly wasn't going to be like Hermione and sign up for everything. She wouldn't be able to handle that amount work.

"Rose, let's go."

"Can't be late."

"Late for?" she wrote as she stifled a yawn. She woke up earlier than expected and was warming herself up on the sofa with her cloak.

"The match," the twin said in unison. Her eyes grew wide as she got up.

" _I need to get changed."_ She turned to only trip on her own cloak.

"Easy there, Rose," Fred said, putting her back on her feet. She had to blink a couple of times to register what just happened.

"Thank you," she wrote.

Rose whistled, "Ah, right, go get ready." Fred released her and watched her go up the stairs.

George nudged him, smirking away.

"Shut up, George."

He put his hands up. "I said nothing."

Gryffindor's match was against Hufflepuff. Last year there wasn't much of a match as Harry caught the Golden Snitch in record time. This time around, who knows if it'll happen again. It was Rose's first time playing against Hufflepuff, going onto the field she only recognised one person, the boy she passed by a couple of times sneaking into the kitchen.

The boy saw her and gave a slight wave. She smiled.

Before anyone could mount their brooms, Professor McGonagall was crossing the field approaching Madam Hooch. While they spoke, Harry and Rose shared a small glance at one another, they hoped it wasn't anything serious.

"This match has been cancelled," McGonagall announced. The duo's heart dropped. Quidditch was probably the best distraction to uplift everyone from the attacks, and now it was cancelled. Based on the professor's face, it looked like it wasn't just this game. She continued to talk through the megaphone, "All students are to make their way back to their House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information." There were a lot of boos from the cancellation of the match, but the students made their way to their House common rooms.

As players were moving from the field, McGonagall asked Harry and Rose to follow her. She got Ron and they were heading to the hospital wing.

"There was another attack. . .another double attack." Rose's face paled, she knew why she brought them here. McGonagall opened two curtains, there revealed Hermione and another girl.

"Hermione!" Ron groaned.

All Rose could do was stare, looking at Hermione's still body and her eyes opened. _"Why you Hermione, you're meant to be safe."_

"Dearie," McGonagall snapped her from her thoughts. "We need to go back to Gryffindor Tower." She slowly nodded, but she didn't move.

Harry took her hand and gave a gentle squeeze. A squeeze she instantly returned. He slowly pulled her away from Hermione's side and followed McGonagall to the tower. He could feel her shaking, the boys knew out of the three of them, she was attached to Hermione the most.

What the boys didn't know was that she was shaking with rage.

Once they reached the common room, she left Harry's hand and stayed between the twins holding onto their robes.

"All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities." McGonagall rolled up the parchment she was reading the announcement from. "I should tell you all this. Unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught, it is likely that the school will be closed." She gave a glance to Rose before she left the room, leaving the students to talk amongst themselves.

"But you heard McGonagall, we're not allowed to leave the tower except for class."

"I think it's time to get my dad's old cloak out again," Harry told Ron.

"Should we tell-"

"We shouldn't tell Rose. I think we should leave her out of it until we get something." They both looked at Rose who was lost in her own thoughts.

Rose learnt the hard way that Hagrid was sent to Azkaban. She was more worried about him then herself in Hogwarts. Dumbledore wasn't in Hogwarts either, Rose didn't quite understand why, but she did agree, no Muggle-Born was safe without him.

She could tell the boys were hiding something from her, if it was truly important, they would tell her.

" _Maybe it's a boy thing,"_ she yawned before continuing with her work. Potions was coming to an end and Herbology was up next. Rose didn't fancy much of Herbology, especially having the class with Hufflepuff. The Heir of Slytherin rumours kept going around, it wasn't sitting well with her.

"Hurry up, I've got take you all to Herbology," Snape shouted, breaking Rose from her thoughts. She quickly packed her things and walked past Harry and Thomas who were holding Ron back for some reason. After the previous week, Rose was not allowed to lag and had to stay by Professor Snape's side whenever he was taking them to class.

There walked in silence, of course, too many ears to talk about someone dear to them.

"I hate spiders," Rose wrote.

"You told me this before," said Harry, his eyes still looking at his pruning. He paused and looked at her, "Wait, what spiders?" Rose pointed on the ground a few yards from themselves. The spiders were in a single fashioned line, crawling in the opposite direction to where they were.

Harry went to tap Ron but accidentally hit him with his pruning shears. "Ouch! Harry, watch where-" Harry was pointing to where Rose was a moment ago. Ron gulped, "We can't follow them now though."

"Looks like they're heading to the Forbidden Forest." Rose moved a bit to see for herself. She knew what that meant.

Ron however, had a face of dread. "Why can't it be 'follow the butterflies?'"

"It's never that easy," she wrote.

"We'll have to use the Invisibility cloak again," Harry whispered. "We can take Fang and head to the forest tonight."

"Fang won't be of much help." Rose knew of the scaredy dog too well.

"Why is that?" Ron asked a little too loud.

She tapped her lips before writing, "Fang doesn't do well in the Dark Forest without Hagrid."

"Point taken, I guess it's just us three."

"Just you two and Prissy," Rose continued. "I got detention with Snape from lagging the other day."

"That wolf?" Ron was still not fond of her.

"I suppose," Harry said, thinking, "we haven't seen much of Prissy lately."

"She's been off since Mrs Norris's…incident," Ron continued. "Would she be of any use?"

"She was born in the Dark Forest." That shocked the boys. They never thought where the black wolf came from.

Once Rose went to her detention, the boys took the cloak and made their way to the Forbidden Forest. They stopped to feed Fang and he ended up tagging along, it was a good thing too, Prissy was nowhere in sight. Once they passed the wild Ford Angela, it wasn't long until they met Aragog, a friend of Hagrid's. There, the boys learnt how Hagrid looked after Aragog and that he wasn't the creature from the Chamber of Secrets, but his kind feared it.

"It is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others," said Aragog.

"What is it?" Harry asked. The boys didn't want to be surrounded by spiders for too long.

"We do not speak of it! We do not name it!" He began, "I never even told Hagrid the name of that dread creature, though he asked me many times."

Ron tugged on Harry's sweater, "What?" Harry only preferred it if Rose did that. Ron pointed up, the boys looked to see spiders descending from their webs. "We'll -ah, just go now," Harry said backing away from Aragog. They could feel the spiders closing in on them.

"Go?" Aragog asked, "I think not." They boys looked at him in shock, "You see, my children do not harm Hagrid, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh me-" A howl caught his attention. Followed by another. "I see you brought friends," he seethed.

Fang squirmed to Ron's legs. The boys looked behind to see no other than Prissy approaching them, stopping in front of them, giving a feral growl to Aragog. More growls were heard causing the boys to look. Prissy wasn't the only wolf in sight, it seems she had company.

"I see you brought your family," Aragog wasn't amused. "The last time you came, my daughter lost a leg!" Prissy growled louder, slowly stepping back. The boys followed, taking steps back themselves. Slowly, the other wolves joined Prissy and surrounded the boys and Fang, leaving the hollow.

It was after some time before the wolves started making a snorting sound, were they laughing? Ron and Fang, on the other hand, were frightened, staying close to Harry, while Harry stayed close to Prissy.

They suddenly came to a halt, ears perked up. One of them growled while another howled. Seconds later, loud clicking and rustling were heard. The spiders were chasing after them. Prissy ran for it as did the boys, following her. Two other wolves joined her, while the rest stayed behind to distract the spiders. The forest was big and the number of children Aragog had was large, it wouldn't be long before they got close.

From a hill close by, it was clear with the Moon's light the spiders were gaining space between them.

There was a loud horn screech, headlights glaring, the Ford Angela was knocking spiders aside to get to them. Once it got close to the boys, the car flew open its doors to let them in. They didn't need to be asked, Fang and the boys got in.

"Prissy?" Harry called. She wasn't there nor the other wolves.

"Close the door Harry, we need to go!" Ron yelled. Harry did as he was told, and they drove the car to safety. Harry insisting on waiting for Prissy near Hagrid's hut but no sign. It was getting late, so they walked back to Gryffindor Tower.

They meet Rose in the common room who sat on the sofa, watching the fire burn. She looked pale, the boys did too. While Ron went straight to his room to sleep, Harry sat by Rose and told her what they had learnt.

"Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets, he was innocent." Rose smiled at him.

" _Finally."_ He smiled. She put her cloak on Harry too and they sat there in silence. Soon they fell asleep.

Harry woke up, blinking a few times, he saw Rose sleeping and woke her up by nudging her arm softly.

She stifled a yawn and titled her head at him.

"It's morning, I'll meet you at breakfast at the Hall?" She nodded before snuggling into her cloak. Prissy had found her way during the night and was sleeping by their foot. _"At least you're safe."_ He smiled and went upstairs before any of the boys woke up to ask questions.

Breakfast was a blur for Harry, apparently, exams were commencing as usual which shocked most of the students on his table. With everything going on, studying was the last thing on his mind. Hedwig and Howler came and sat on his shoulder, he instinctively knew what to give them. Exchange letter and food with a side of affection. He did wonder when the two owls got so close.

"Where's Rose?" Ron asked.

"I saw her this morning, she said she'd meet me here," Harry said, tucking the notes he'd gotten from the owls into his robe pocket.

"This morning? But you were with me the whole time, I didn't see her."

Harry's cheeks got red, he wasn't going to admit he'd fallen asleep next to her. Before he could give a plausible excuse, Professor McGonagall made an announcement.

The boys had snuck away from the Great Hall to try and visit Hermione. They managed to do so without any issues. As they crept into the hospital wing, they saw Rose do the same.

"We were wondering where you were," said Ron, relieved. Rose could only nod as she stared at her petrified friend.

She was lost in thought until she saw Harry trying to grab something from Hermione's hand. "What is it?"

Harry opened the paper and looked at it. "This is why Hermione was in the library the day she was attacked." They heard movement coming towards them. "Let's go," Harry whispered. Ron walked in front while the duo followed him, existing the wing.

They walked down the hall before Harry read from the paper. "Of the many fearsome beasts that roam our land, none is deadlier than the Basilisk. Capable of living hundreds of years, instant death awaits anyone who meet this giant serpent's eye. Spiders flee before it and only the crowing of the rooster is fatal to it." Harry said wide-eyed. "This is it! The monster in the Chamber is a Basilisk, it's why I could hear its' voice because I understand Parseltongue."

Rose face paled.

" _If Parselmouths can understand Snakes. . . Please tell me you can control them too."_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13

The three figured out why no one was killed by the Basilisk this time, it was because they all saw the beast indirectly.

"Ron," Harry called, "The girl who died, Aragog said she was found in a bathroom."

Rose clicked her fingers, she connected the dots. "What if she's in the bathroom?"

"What if she never left?" Harry finished. The duo looked at Ron, waiting for him.

"Moaning Myrtle?" The duo nodded.

"This means I'm not the only Parselmouth in the school. The Heir of Slytherin is one too and they're controlling the basilisk. We need to tell Professor McGonagall."

"Where would she be?"

"The teacher's lounge? Let's start there."

"All students are to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers to the second floor immediately," McGonagall announced, her voice echoing down the halls.

"Let's get to the second floor and see what they found," Rose wrote. They dashed to the second floor and stopped not too far away from the group of teachers who were staring at a wall.

"As you can see the Heir of Slytherin has left another message. A student has been taken by the monster."

Rose's breath got caught in her throat. _"Who was taken? We need to find the chamber."_ Harry took her hand to comfort her. A small gesture went a long way to ease her.

"A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Your moment has come at last," Snape said, as Lockhart made it to the other teachers.

"M-my m-moment?" He stammered.

"Yes. Weren't you saying just the other night you've known all along where the entrance to the chamber is?"

"Did I? I-I don't remember."

"That settles it," said McGonagall. "We'll leave you to deal with the monster, Gilderoy. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all by yourself." The other teachers nodded.

"V-very well. I'll be -in my office. Ah -getting ready," Lockhart dashed the same way he entered before any more could ask more of him.

"We need to find Lockhart," Rose wrote. "We need to tell him what we know." The boys nodded.

"Who has the monster taken, Minerva?" That sparked the three's interest.

"Ginny Weasley," she had in sorrow. Ron's knees buckled, the duo caught him just in time. They heard him gasp and followed his gaze.

 **Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever . . .**

"Why would she be taken?" Ron asked. The duo didn't know how to answer.

"We'll find her Ron, it'll be okay." Rose knew she could live up to her words. All Ron could do was nod, while Harry had a troubled expression.

Rose whistled to get Harry's attention.

"We need to head back to Gryffindor tower before McGonagall. She's going tell the Weasleys what we just found out."

"What about Ginny?"

"We can't help Ginny if they find us wandering the halls. They need to see your face before we can sneak out."

"I got a plan to sneak us out," Rose wrote. They nodded before heading to the tower.

As much as it was the best thing to do, the silence in the Gryffindor common room was something Rose didn't want to experience again. Seeing the boys and the twin's faces with worry, Rose wanted to do something to help them, but what? The whole afternoon was silent, she managed to make the twins smile but it quickly faded.

"Ginny will be okay," she wrote. She had to believe in her words, who else would?

"She knew something, Rose," Ron spoke out. "That's why she was taken." His face was strained. This was Ginny Weasley we were talking about. The Baby Weasley of the family, the one you keep safe. Of course, the brothers were taking it hard, they weren't there to protect her, or properly comfort her during these attacks. "We need to go tell Lockhart what we know."

Harry and Rose looked at each other.

It was time.

"I hope you got your plan ready, Rose." She whistled.

"Your plan was to use Prissy?" Ron asked.

"In case we need a distraction from a teacher." The boys smiled.

By the time they made it to Lockhart's office, the sun was setting. A lot of noises could be heard.

" _I hope he's not dancing."_

The three barged in Lockhart's office to see him throwing his belongings in large trunks.

"Going somewhere?" Harry deadpanned.

"Um -well, yes. Urgent call, you see. Unavoidable. Got to go," he continued putting his things in the trunks.

"What about my sister?"

" _You ain't leaving."_ Rose was slowly reaching for her wand.

"Most unfortunate. No one regrets more than I-"

"You're the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher!" Ron interrupted.

It was than Lockhart confessed his lies. How he was a fraud, stealing other people's adventures.

"Is there anything you _can_ do?" Ron was not pleased. The chance of saving his sister was decreasing.

"Now that you mention it. I'm rather gifted with memory charms."

" _You should have been an Obliviator then."_ Rose was unamused like the boys.

"I'm afraid I'll have to do the same to you," Lockhart turned to grab his wand.

"Don't even think about it," Harry said, and the three had their wands pointing at him.

" _Drop it,"_ she mouthed.

"You're coming with us," Harry said as he gestured for Lockhart to leave his office. Once they got out of the classroom, Prissy was wagging her tail at them.

"Thought she left," Ron. Was Ron finally warming up to the wolf?

Rose tapped her board, "I'll lead her away and I'll meet you there?"

"You don't have to come," Harry said all too quickly.

" _That stung."_ She began writing again. "Not up for debate, I want to bring Ginny home too, I'll meet you there." Ron's mouth twitched a little. They weren't close but the fact she was going to help save his sister meant a lot.

"Where is there?" No one answered the professor's question.

"We'll see you there," Ron nodded before Harry could interject. Rose went with Prissy. Hopefully, she could draw her attention away.

Rose kept looking at Prissy, wondering why she was here.

" _Was McGonagall keeping count of the students?"_ If that is true, she might have trouble getting to the bathroom. " _Prissy you need to go back please, you need to stay with the others. I need you safe."_ Prissy looked at her like she heard her thought.

Rose and Prissy took a long detour taking the hidden passageways, as ghosts and teachers were walking down the halls.

They were now waiting on Peeves to move to another corridor, but so far, no luck.

"Ugh," Ron said, looking at what he was stepping on. Old skeletons of rodents. The boys went down the tunnel, getting close to the Chamber.

"Now remember, any sign of movement, close your eyes straight away," Harry said as the boys had their wands pointing at Lockhart.

A whistle echoed from above. Before the boys could respond, they could hear Rose coming through the tunnel. Harry didn't move in time and ended up bumping heads with Rose as she got down.

"Sorry," she mouthed.

"About time," said Ron, helping her get up. Harry got up and moved in front of them. Rose, Lockhart and Ron followed. They moved along until they came across a snakeskin. One that isn't from your average garden snake. "Bloody hell, whoever shed this skin must be sixty feet long or more," Ron gulped. Lockhart fell to the ground. He seemed to have fainted at the sight of the skin. "Heart of a lion, this one."

" _There's a reason why he wasn't placed in Gryffindor."_

Within a moment later, Lockhart grabs Ron's wand. "The adventure ends here boys."

" _I feel like I should be offended."_

"The world will hear our story. How I was too late to save the girl. How you two tragically lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body.

" _Does he not know I'm here?"_

"Say goodbye to your memories, Harry," Lockhart points the wand at him. " _Obliviate!_ " The wand exploded, the force making Lockhart knock the wall behind him with a heavy thud.

The ground started to shake as rocks fell from above. Harry and rose coward close, avoiding the rocks.

"Harry, Rose!"

"Ron," Harry shouted back. "Ron, are you okay?" The small explosion from Ron's broken wand, caused the rocks to fall, creating a barrier.

"I'm okay, this git's not, though. He got blasted by my wand."

Lockhart sat up looking gazed. "Hello, who are you?"

Ron looked at him confused, "Ron Weasley."

"Really?" He sounded amazed. "Who am I?"

"Lockhart's memory charm backfired. He hasn't got a clue who he is."

" _I take it back about him being an Obliviator."_

"What do I do now?"

"You wait here and shift some of these rocks," Harry instructed, "We'll bring Ginny back."

"Harry," Ron's voice shaky.

"See you in a bit," Rose whistled. Hoping to give Ron some confidence.

"Are you okay, Rose?" Harry gestured to her leg. There was blood soaking her sock around her shin.

"I'm fine," she mouthed. She left her blackboard in the bathroom. She hoped she didn't need it for what they were to face.

They walk further and further away from where they last heard Ron. The duo stopped at a stone wall with two serpents entwined.

The duo looked at each other before Harry spoke in Parseltongue.

" _Open."_ Slowly the serpents parted, and the wall opened.

It revealed a passage that led to a series of tall pillars with snakes wrapped around them. At the end of the pillar was a tall mighty statue of Salazar Slytherin himself, which gave the duo the chills.

The duo dashed towards Ginny trying to wake her up. She was still, cold to the touch but not dead. Rose felt a cold chill down her spine, with the hairs on the back of her neck standing up instantly. She spins around to see a boy slightly older than her with pale skin and jet-black hair. She wondered why he looked familiar, or at least some of his featured did.

"Tom Riddle? Are you a ghost?"

He shakes his head. "A memory, preserved in a diary for fifty years."

"You've got to help us, Tom. There's a basilisk-"

"It won't come until it's called," he said calmly. That set Rose on alert.

"What d'you mean? Give me back my wand."

"You won't be needing it, nor would you need to be taking out yours little girl," he said looking at her hand, which was an inch away from her wand. "I'm afraid I can't let you take her. You see, as poor Ginny grows weaker, I grow stronger."

Rose stared wide-eyed realising what was happening. Riddle explained to the duo, revealing how Ginny was the one to open the Chamber of Secrets, how she set the Basilisk to do all those attacks and how she didn't have a clue of her actions, all because Riddle had her under a trance. He admitted to framing Hagrid for opening the Chamber, which didn't sit right with the duo.

"Why did you want to meet me?" Harry was angrier than shocked by Tom's confession.

"All Ginny ever did was talk about you. The boy who lived. I have so many questions."

"Like what?" Rose held on to his robe, she was getting worried. She could hear the beast slithering around.

"How is it an ordinary baby defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"

"Why do you care? Voldemort was after your time." That seemed to have made him twitch.

"Voldemort is my past, present and future," he said angrily. He turned and used Harry's wand to write in full name. He gave it a wave and the letters rearrange them on its own.

 **I am Lord Voldemort.**

Rose could feel her body go still. The chills down her spine only intensified with this new information.

"You're the heir of Slytherin? You're Voldemort?" Harry sounded baffled.

"Surely you didn't think I would keep my filthy Muggle father's name?" He seethed. "I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak."

Rose was deep in thought as Harry and Riddle were 'talking'. _"If I move slowly and am subtle, I could get my wand. Can't do wandless magic . . . I can hear it moving, but I can't see that far."_

Suddenly music could be heard, they all stopped to see. It was getting louder, Rose had a smile on her face. _"Fawkes!"_ The music got louder before the crimson bird could be seen. He flew straight at Harry, dropping the sorting hat behind sitting on Rose's shoulder. She felt confident with him on her side.

"That's a phoenix," Riddle said amazed.

"Fawkes?" Rose whistled with a smile.

A smile Riddle didn't like. "This is what Dumbledore sends his defender? A songbird and an old hat?" He began to laugh. "Do you feel safe now?"

Harry didn't answer. The thought of not feeling safe never came to him. He had Rose with him and now Fawkes too. He didn't understand the purpose of the Sorting Hat, but Dumbledore must've had a reason for it.

Fawkes was rubbing himself on Rose's cheeks, his form of comfort. Her hand automatically went to her throat, at a memory she didn't want to think of. _"I'm safe. He can't hurt me."_

"We're probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself," Riddle said, breaking Rose from her thoughts.

Harry instinctively went to hold Rose's hand, like he knew something was going to happen.

"Now, Harry, let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him."

Riddle turned to look up the stone face of Slytherin, speaking in Parseltongue. The duo understood what he was saying. The slithering of the serpent was getting louder, they squeezed each other's hand, worried for what was to come.

Riddle spoke again, " _Kill him_." The basilisk, the bright green serpent slithered out of the mouth of Slytherin, heading straight for Harry.

"Parseltongue won't save you now, Potter. The Basilisk only obeys me."

Rose stood in front of him, _"You will not harm him!"_

The basilisk halted and looked at the girl. All Rose did was look at its tail. She was shaking, she didn't want to die.

"I said kill him."

" _No."_ The basilisk kept looking between Tom and Rose, hard to say what a confused Basilisk looks like.

"You," Riddle pointed at Rose. "Who are you?" She just shrugged her shoulders. "Tell me!"

Harry looked at Rose, wondering why Tom was taking an interest to her now. All Harry could think was keeping his eyes on Rose or closing them. This was a more dangerous situation than he expected. He should've made sure Rose didn't follow.

He couldn't protect them both.

"Kill him!" Riddle said once more, having lost his patience with the girl.

" _Harry Run!"_ He didn't need to be told twice. He ran fast, hoping the Basilisk would keep his focus on him.

" _His eyes!"_ Fawkes fluttered his wing, hearing her thought. He took flight, screeching as he soared towards the Basilisk in such speed. He confused the beast, moving in odd directions before he drove his sharp talons in the beast's eyes. The beast cried in agony, hurt.

"NO! Leave it alone you stupid bird. Just because he lost his eyes doesn't mean he can't hear you." The Basilisk waited for a sound, Harry was only a couple of feet from the beast. Fawkes distracted the Basilisk once more for Harry to create distance between the beast.

"You, who are you?" He pointed Harry's wands at her. "The one that doesn't talk," he answered his own question. "Ginny wrote quite a lot about you too, I think she's jealous. The girl that doesn't have a house, a girl that no one knows her name, a girl who indeed has more than one deep dark secret and I think I know one of them."

Her stomach sank at the truth.

The night Harry and Ron went to meet Aragog, Rose had unknowingly told the Basilisk to not harm another like she just did with Harry. It had confirmed what she feared.

She had controlled the Basilisk.

She was starting to question everything. _"I need to think."_

"I can see it on your face, you're trying to figure out how this is possible. I must've –"

" _Expelliarmus!"_ She caught him off guard. Harry's wand dropped a few feet away from him.

"Nonverbal, you are indeed talented, even for your age." He was looking at Rose in a new light. A light Rose never wanted to be in. "Who are your parents? When I was in school, I was the only one from this bloodline, I'm not alone." He almost sounded happy.

Almost.

"Who are your parents? How did you come to be?"

" _I was born from the curse you put my parents through."_ She was shaking.

She wanted to cry.

The person she knew to be pure evil was only a few years older than her. Was she going to be like him?

" _No, I know who my parents are. I know how I was born. I know who my father is, he raised me."_

"We could pass as siblings." That struck a nerve, she sent him flying, hitting a pillar on his way down.

" _We are nothing alike and we're certainly don't look alike."_ She was physically shaking, from fear or anger, it was hard to say.

His eyes widened at her. "We may not look alike but we are similar in many ways." He got up and wave his hand at her, sending an invisible force to knock her down.

She grunted, on the floor. Moving her hand, searching for her wand.

"You may not like to hear it, but only the Heir of Slytherin can control the Basilisk...running through your veins is the blood of one of the best wizards in history." She finally got back on her feet, holding her wand tightly.

"You should feel honoured," he hit her with another nonverbal spell making her fall. "Get up, don't make me use force," his voice dripped with venom.

" _I-I don't know what to do."_

"Don't cry, this isn't a real duel. We would've bowed otherwise," he shakes his head at her. "Think of this as a lesson with the greatest sorcerer."

" _Bighead."_ She whistles at him.

"So, you can communicate," he smirked at her. He hit her again. "Protect yourself," he mocked.

She shook her head. _"Petrificus Totalus."_

His lips turned into a thin line, " _Protego_ ," there was a quick flash of light. "It's a shield charm," he stated before he pointed the wand back at her.

" _Protego."_ The spell bounced back. Her face lit up.

"Good, you pick up fast for someone you can't talk."

For what felt like hours, Rose was deflecting spell after spell and wasn't able to get anything across to Riddle. It only came to an end once he had Rose backed up on a wall.

"You're stronger than most of the wizards I know. My question is who taught you Occlumency. No doubt you will be a skilful one, a Legilimens too."

That took Rose off guard, everything was happening so fast. She could hear footsteps coming close, but not the slithering.

" _Harry is okay,"_ she sighed in relief.

" _Stupefy!_ " Her relief was short lived once Riddle hit her with another spell, one she wasn't focused enough to block. Stunned, she fell to the ground in a loud thud.

Harry returned to an unconscious Ginny and Rose, with a Tom looming over them. While Fawkes was distracting the beast, the Sorting Hat had revealed a sword to him, and he used that sword to kill the beast. He drove the sword into the roof of the Basilisk's mouth but doing so also determined his fate. A tooth of the beast had penetrated his arm, the poison was now in his system.

He only pulled the tooth out of his arm once he could see Ginny in sight. He dropped to his knees to see how she was. It was only then Tom revealed how the venom was fatal and working in Harry's system fast. Talking and talking about how a silly book could cause, which is what prompted Harry to do the next thing. He took the tooth and stabbed the diary with it, many times until Tom was gone and Ginny woke up confessing what she had done.

Once Fawkes had healed him, it was only then did he see Rose getting up. He had completely forgotten she was down here with him. He immediately went to give her a hug.

"I'm glad you're okay, I don't know what happened when you were alone with Riddle," he moved and examined her for any wounds. She had small cuts and red marks, which he knew would end up being bruises. Rose was still not steady from being stunned, Harry held onto her hand tightly all the way to Dumbledore's office, leaving a certain girl with rosy cheeks.

She was then escorted by Ron to head to the hospital wing with Lockhart.

"Rose," she tilted her head at him. Ron seemed lost for words. "I-I w-want to thank you for bringing my sister back," he finally said.

She smiled. "No need to thank me, we protect those we care about and who they care about." Her hands were still shaking from the previous events, what she still wrote, nonetheless.

He smiled brightly. Maybe they could get along.

"Though, you need to seriously change your wand." He laughed at that.

Rose was quietly waiting in front of the Headmaster's office, she had immediately walked back there once her wounds were tended to. She didn't want to knock the door until they stopped talking, she wasn't eavesdropping on purpose, they just happened to be loud.

Suddenly an elf came flying out the door, Rose was shocked but not surprised to see it was Draco's father that had caused the scene. Even Harry passed by her with the diary, not noticing her. She took it as a sign to enter.

"And here I was thinking, I'd come visit you," he smiled at her as she made her way to his desk. She wasn't able to return his smile. "For starters, are you alright?"

"I'll heal," she wrote.

"I wasn't referring to your tiny cuts."

She shook her head. "I'm not sure why what happened, happened." He nodded, understanding where she was coming from. "He seemed to be testing me."

"Testing?" His eyebrows rose.

"He even taught me a shield charm." Her hands were shaky again. _"Like he was seeing my potential. Like he expected something from me, but I don't know why."_ She sucked in her breath, "He never gave me a scar like Harry's so why am I important?"

"I had a feeling something like this would happen in my absence. Yes, you and Voldemort have similarities, but I can confirm you aren't a descendant of Voldemort nor did he pass anything to you."

She hadn't realised she held her breath in.

"I know you have a lot of questions and I'll be happy to answer some of them once you're feeling up to it." She nodded. Her breathing became shaky, and before she knew it, tears were falling down her face. Realization hit her hard. She faced You-Know-Who, even if it was a version from a diary, he was real.

" _He wanted me to join him, I could sense it"_

"I'm glad you stayed strong," he took her hand in his. "You seem to be becoming quite the witch we all expected you to be, we're proud of you." The door to his office opened and there stood her guardian. Rose ran into their arms.

"You're safe."

"You solved it!" Hermione said and she dashed to the boys. She hugged Harry.

"We got loads of help from you," Harry said as he returned the hug.

"I didn't help at all." There was an awkward reunion between Ron and Hermione, something Rose would've laughed at. "You found the paper I had, right?"

"Yeah. You found out it was a Basilisk," Harry was getting confused.

"It wasn't my paper. Rose dropped it the other day from her robe and I never got to return it and I was curious and," her cheeks were red at her confession. "Once I looked at it, I realised that it was the beast."

"You mean that Rose knew about the monster being a Basilisk?" She nodded.

The boys looked at each other shocked. How can that be?

"Speak of the devil," Ron tilted his head to the entrance of the Great Hall seeing Rose and Hagrid walking in together with a happy Prissy right behind them.

The trio were curious about Rose, more now than ever.

Did they know her well like they thought they had?

Things were changing soon, good or bad.

Hard to say.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Update on the food, I'm honestly thinking of transferring schools just to have the cuisine daily. Hermione didn't like my joke and tortured me by taking me to the art museum. Other than that, everything has been good over here._

 _Hope your week has been okay. It's a good thing Hedwig and Howler have been switching places, if not, we wouldn't know how to send your presents. Hermione kept ranting about customs. I'm assuming muggle security._

 _I think I got that right._

 _I hope you like your present Harry._

 _Be careful with the small box, I suggest you open it on the table or floor. It won't make a sound so don't worry, I had that covered. Whenever you plan to open it use the revealing spell._

 _As for the parcel, it took time, but I hope you can add more to it in the future. Creevey unknowingly helped. Hope you like it._

 _And most of all, Harry._

 _Harry Birthday!_

 _Love, from Rose._

 _p.s I'll see you in Diagon Alley. I think Howler likes you more than me. He keeps wanting to see you._

 _Harry immediately opened the parcel to reveal a photo album. Flipping through, memories resurfaced of his time at Hogwarts, from catching the Snitch to seeing Hagrid in the Great Hall._

Harry smiled at the memory before folding the letter and placing it back into his pocket. He was outside on the curb with his trunk. He was using anything to distract himself from the cold. More so of the fact he used magic, he had broken the rule that would expel him from Hogwarts.

A shiver went down his spine at the thought. What was he to do?

The wind started to pick up, his hair covering his vision. Rustling sounds were heard, slowly getting louder he brought his wand in front of him, " _Lumos_ ".

The thing he saw were dark big gleaming eyes staring at him.

 **THUD**

Frightened, he unknowingly took a step back and tripped over his trunk.

The following events were a blur to Harry. From the Knight Bus to Fudge, to spending the remaining days of his holiday staying at the Leaky Cauldron. One thing he knew for sure was the leniency he had gotten from the Minster of Magic had something to do with the Prisoner of Azkaban.

He just hoped it wouldn't effort his year in Hogwarts.

Young Harry, still innocent. . .

There, at his usual place eating his free sundae made by Florean Fortescue himself, Harry was daydreaming about quidditch until he heard his name being called several times.

"Finally, we were wondering where you were," Ron huffed. There stood in front of him, his best-friends.

"Hello Harry," Hermione beamed at him.

"Ron, Hemione, it's good to see you."

"I hope you've been well. Did you get your books?" Such a mother hen she can be.

"I got all my school stuff last week."

"Okay, good. I've still got ten Galleons," she looked at the boys. "My parents gave me extra money you know as an early birthday present."

"Is there anything you want?"

"How about a book?" Ron said genuinely. Hermione loves to read a book couldn't go wrong.

"I don't think so." In this case, it can be. "I've seen how Hedwig is to you and how Priscilla is important to Rose," she paused. "Rose said that you'll know when you find them."

"Do you want to-"

"Where's Rose?" Harry had no intention being rude, but he did wonder where she was. _"Did she come here?_ "

"Oh she's-"

"Harry!" Hermione was interrupted by no other than Mrs. Weasley.

"Mrs. Weasley," Harry greeted her with a smile.

"Good to see you. Now, you got everything you need?" Harry nodded. "Books, clothes?"

"Yes, it's back at the Leaky Cauldron."

"Good boy," she smiled. A mother to all.

"Harry Potter," the boy turned.

"Mr. Weasley."

"Harry, might I have a word-"

"You will not," Mrs. Weasley whisper yelled.

"He has the right to know."

"Arthur, the truth will terrify him." They both realized it wasn't a topic to discuss in public.

"But I will talk to Rose when I see her."

Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat and faced the trio. "Now then, shall we all get sundaes?" Mr. Weasley knew his wife heard.

The duo had the right to know of the dangers.

"Wicked," Ron said excitedly.

"I hope you haven't been telling more people, Ron," George smirked seeing his younger brother fiddle with the newspaper article.

Harry looked around to see a Weasley M.I.A "George," Harry said trying to look behind him "Where's Fred?"

"Oh," he wiggled his eyebrows, "He's waiting on Rose at Gringotts."

"She was taking quite a while and Mrs. Weasley didn't want her to wander alone," Hermione chimed in.

"And Fred volunteered," he snickered, "quite eagerly too."

"Oh," was all Harry could say. Again, the one he wanted to see the most wasn't there. Being patient can be a struggle.

"I'm not sure how long they'll be, don't worry. You'll see them at dinner tonight at least," George shrugged.

Meanwhile Rose was in her vault searching for something that was meant for her. For the fifth time she sighed and unfolded the crumpled note.

" _Go ter yer parents vault an' find the wooden box, yeh used ter use it a lo'"_ She mimicked his voice reading the worn-out note. _"But it's not here. . .The box with her letters, it's not here. . . And why was Hagrid so adamant I find them now? Why couldn't I have them before, Why now?"_

"Are you done yet?" Rose whistled harshly at the goblin. She knew he was taking up his time, and hers too but she couldn't leave without the box.

She walked around in small steps, doing her best not to touch anything, she had found wooden boxes, but they didn't contain letters from _her._

There she saw a trunk, her father's old trunk from his days at Hogwarts. Her father's voice popped in her head. _"I packed the letters in your trunk last night, read them when you need to."_

" _Maybe. ."_ She thought. She took a shaky breath and opened it. There were old clothes, she shuffled through them and low and behold; the box in question was in her hands.

She whistled to the goblin as she placed the box in the duffle bag with other things she packed from the vault.

"Oh finally," he rolled his eyes. She adjusts the scarf around her neck, "It smells like _him_."

Despite how dimly lit the area was, both the goblin and Rose could see like daytime. She admired all the stones and doors while snuggling into her father's scarf. She even saw a lion's tail disappearing around a corner.

As she left Gringotts, she felt eyes on her. Rose turned around to see the one and only Fred Weasley.

"It's weird not seeing George with you, it's like my eyes are playing tricks," she wrote.

He laughed. "I'll be your escort for today."

"Oh? Aren't you chivalrous?"

"Of course," he adjusted his imaginary tie and took her bag to carry. "Mother doesn't want you to roam Diagon Alley on your own, so I volunteered."

"You did?" She looks up at him.

He met her eyes to only look away quickly. "Well, I didn't think you wanted Percy here." She nodded. They were already walking heading away from the bank.

"My hero." He smiled, "Where's George?"

His smile faltered, "helping Ginny. It's just us." She nodded. He cleared his throat, "So, where to?"

"We can hang out for a while if you like. I only need to get new robes from Madam Malkins. I had a sudden growth spur."

Fred looked down at her and took note.

Her hair reached the small of her back, her height was close to his shoulder and took note of a little more than intended.

Sneaky Weasley

Rose noticed his face and whistled, not realizing getting caught in the act would make one's cheeks redder than before.

"Are you okay? Your face is red." She titled her head at him.

"Uh-huh, I'm fine," he coughed. _"Think Fred._ " "Have you seen the Firebolt?" She shook her head. "Guess we'll see that first, come on." She took hold of his sweater and followed his lead. Given it was the day before the students' train ride, Diagon Alley was more crowded than usual, especially Quality Quidditch Supplies where the Firebolt in topic was at. Once they admired the broom or more specifically Rose, Fred couldn't help but glance at Rose. Grateful yet sad she never turned to him until it was time to go.

Going through one of Madam Malkin's measuring sessions wasn't boring with Fred around, whispering comments to her. It was probably the only time she was glad her voice couldn't be heard.

On their way back to the Leaky Cauldron, the two were greeted by a similar looking yet different looking Fred.

"About time, thought Sirius Black may have gotten you," he snickered.

 **Whack!**

"George, you do not say those sorts of things," Mrs. Weasley ignored her twin boys and focused on the brown-haired girl in front of her.

"Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes, my robes were the last thing I needed," She wrote with the robes in her other hand. Juggling the board was now second nature for her.

"Good girl. You rest for a bit, come down with the others later for supper." She smiled.

"Let me help you with this," Fred said, leading the way.

Rose grabbed a fist full of his sweater to hold him at his spot. He turned to look at her, who was scribbling on the board fast. "I can take my bag, you head back to your room to rest."

He smiled, "my room is on the same floor as yours Rose." It took the girl a while to register before she nodded. They walked together, leaving his twin silently walking behind them.

Once they were upstairs all sorts of noises could be heard. From arguing to rattling furniture. Once they reached her room, Rose took her bag back smiling, "Thank you for today," she wrote.

"It was nothing," he scratched his head. He heard his brother cough making him get flustered. "Would you sit with me at dinner? I-I mean us?"

She raised her eyebrow him and wrote, "Since when have I not? You need rest."

"He does."

"Shut up, George." His brother laughed entering their shared room. She silently giggled until she was the only one left at the corridor. Suddenly she heard a small yelp from the room opposite of hers.

" _I wonder if. . ."_ She cautiously walked to the door and nudged it open. The door creaked revealing a tired Harry on top of his Book of Monsters

"Rose," he said, off guarded.

She struggles but manages to write, "You're meant to stroke to the spine."

"Oh, right."

"I'm guessing Hagrid didn't tell you," he shook his head. Rose walked out of his room and Harry instinctively followed. She whistled for him to knock the door. Before he could knock a second time, Hermione swung the door open.

"Where have you been?" Rose walked past her and placed her things on her bed.

"I was with Fred," she wrote.

"This whole time?" She nodded. Hermione closed the door and sat on Rose's bed to look at her. "What did you two do?"

"Just walked and talked."

"What did you talk about?"

" _So curious Hermione,"_ Rose smirked. "Does someone have a crush?"

"N-not on Fred if that's what you're insinuating," she blushed. Rose silently giggled at her reaction. While the two girls spoke, Harry remained quiet making sure he heard every word of their conversation.

Oh, is young Harry jealous? How unbecoming. . .

Soon Rose went to reorganize her trunk, leaving Hermione and Harry alone. They had entered their own world, the two never realized how much they enjoyed each other's company until now. Rose was soon greeted by the latest edition in the family, the orange fuzz ball made himself known by sitting on her lap. Priscilla soon joined him on her lap, both snuggling up together. Rose had pure envy of the two, just relaxing without care.

"We should head downstairs," Hermione announced. Time had flown by rather quickly for all of them. "Rose." She whistled putting her hands in the air like a flashing star. Hermione sighed, "You said that five minutes ago. . . twice."

"Why don't you go downstairs? I'll hurry her up," Hermione nodded before saying bye to her new ginger ally.

Rose looked at Harry, "What?" She began to tap the side of her trunk before shaking her head and grabbing her blackboard.

"You don't have to wait for me."

"I don't mind, want me to help?" She nodded. They worked fast in the silence. Harry was admiring how she was placing everything, as if she was mentally picturing the placement.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted a slip, a permission slip that he couldn't get a signature for. Curiosity got him. He quickly picked it up and unfolded the paper. He smiled, _"I definitely can get mine signed."_ He placed it back like it never left. A moment later Rose's trunk was closed. The last thing she placed was the scarf from around her neck. Placing it so gently like it was a fragile glass piece.

Dinner was more exciting than expected. No one was going to say no to a five-course meal. Like their usual sitting places in Hogwarts, Harry in between the trio with Rose opposite of him with the twins on her sides.

"I can't believe you tried to shut him up in a Pyramid. Like an actual one?"

"We tried," they said in unison. "And failed."

"Mum spotted us before we could close it," Fred said while George hummed in disappointment.

"Open grave next time, he wouldn't know he fell in one with the way he's showing off that badge of his," she wrote. The silence was deafening that she expected. She looked up at the twins seeing a devilish grin on their faces. "I was joking, you know that right?" She could only imagine what their minds were brewing.

Once everyone finished their desserts. Mrs. Weasley quickly dismissed everyone as tomorrow was a big day for them.

Rose was pleased she finished all her packing before dinner, the food itself was going to put her in a deep slumber. As she was following the twins up the stairs, she was interrupted.

"Rose. May I have a word with you?"

"What about?" The twins said in defense. She didn't expect them to be hostile to their own father.

"Boys, just a minute and Rose can head to her room."

Fred leaned to her ear and whispered, "Just whistle if he gives you a hard time." She nodded despite her cheeks turning a shade of red from his hot breath on her neck. George smirked as he pulled his brother away.

"One minute." They walked up, leaving a timid Rose alone with Mr. Weasley. She knew what or at least suspected what he wanted to talk to her about.

"I think you know what I want to discuss." She nods. "The boys tell me how smart you are, you would've kept up with the news."

"I have been," she wrote.

"Then you know. I want you to swear to me that you won't go looking for Sirius." He makes eye-contact with her. "Do not fonder of the idea of a reunion. He has been in Azkaban for nearly thirteen years. Doesn't matter what _he_ said, Sirius isn't the same from back then. If what the Ministry is suspecting is right, he wants you too." She creased her brows, nodding in response. She headed back to her room, replaying the words Mr. Weasley said to her.

The next morning went by in chaos. Rose preferred going with the Grangers to the platform, but she didn't mind the mischief happening with the Weasleys. She was the first to leave the flock, knowing that Mr. Weasley would be talking to Harry while the chaos still occurred. She took it upon herself to find an empty compartment.

She reached the last compartment, looking inside it. Her breath hitched up, she refused to blink, believing the person sleeping was all a part of her imagination.

" _The one that disappeared."_

" _First time on a train, Rose?" Fred asked. She shook her head._

" _No?" George questioned._

 _She started scribbling fast, "Went on a train ride with my father and uncle when I was five."_

" _With your father and uncle? Where are they now?" She shook her head._

" _Not going to tell us? Not even your favourite twins? George said._

 _She huffed, stifling a yawn before she began writing. "One died and the other disappeared. I don't remember much."_

He was sleeping in the compartment in front of her. Frozen in her spot, she didn't notice the trio approaching her.

"Oh, there you are Rose, did you find us one?" Hermione stood in front her, opening the compartment. "It's the only one left." Rose rapidly blinked before sitting next to the sleeping man. The boys followed and got comfortable.

"Who d'you reckon he is?" Ron asked.

"Professor R. J. Lupin," Hermione stated.

"How d'you know? How do you always know everything?"

"His suitcase, Ronald," both girls pointed to the suitcase above the person of interest, Rose never tearing away from the man, fearing he might disappear again.

"Oh. I wonder what he teachers."

"That's obvious," Hermione exasperated. "There's always one vacancy, isn't there?"

"Defence Against the Dark Arts," Harry answered.

"Oh," he said again. "Rose don't go crushing on a teacher," he smirked.

Rose just scrunched her nose looking at Ron, causing all of them to laugh. _"He smells the same."_

"Is that new scarf?" Rose shook her head. Hermione looked at it more. "I haven't seen it before."

"You were wearing it yesterday," Harry said, his outspoken thought surprised him. Rose whistled in response.

"Did you buy it while you were with Fred? Did he buy it?"

Rose shook her head quite quickly and wrote, "vault." Hermione understood immediately.

Before Harry could ask what she meant, the topic was changed. "What were you going to tell us, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Do you think he's really asleep?" Harry asked, gesturing to the sleeping Professor. Rose whistled.

Harry began to explain what Mr. Weasley told him and the argument he eavesdropped on Mr and Mrs Weasley the previous night. He was surprised to see Hermione and Ron terrified at the news. Rose however, seemed distant of the information, keeping an eye of the professor.

"Let me get this straight, Sirius Black escape from Azkaban to come after you?" Ron seemed horrified of the sentence that left his mouth.

"Ye-yeah," Harry hesitated. _"Should I tell them about what they said about Rose?_

"But they'll catch him, won't they?" Hermione questioned. "I mean, everyone's looking for him."

"Sure. Though no one has actually escaped Azkaban before," Ron stated.

"You give such hope," Rose wrote.

"At least I'm not crushing on a teacher," he stuck his tongue out.

"Ronald," Hermione hissed as Rose rose from her seat glaring at Ron who physically gulped.

"Was only joking," he muttered. Rose mocked him by sticking her tongue out before opening the compartment door.

"Where are you- Malfoy," Ron gritted his teeth.

Rose looked in front of her to see no other than the white blond boy with his two goons behind him.

"Baby Gryffindor," he whispered before looking behind her. "Well if it isn't Potty and the Weasel," the Slytherins chuckled. "I heard your family finally got their hands on some gold this Summer. Did you mother die of shock?"

Ron stood up quickly enough to scare Rose into Malfoy's chest. "Careful there Baby Gryffindor, some might say you're coming on to me," he smirked. Rose pushed Ron back to gain space from the snake pit causing Ron to knock Crookshanks basket to the floor. Evidently opening the basket to reveal Crookshanks and Priscilla, who sat right next to Lupin.

Professor Lupin gave a snort.

"Who's that?" Malfoy gestured to the Professor.

"New teacher," Harry said getting up, having his shoulder in front of Rose's. "What were you saying, Malfoy?" Malfoy took note of Harry's gesture before glancing at Rose. They stared at each other before someone cleared their throat.

"C'mon," he muttered, and they disappeared.

After a few minutes Rose went to find the Trolley Lady, leaving the trio alone in the compartment.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione said concerned.

"It's Rose."

"W-what about her?"

"Well," he paused to make sure Professor Lupin was still sleeping. "When Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were urging, her name was mentioned more than mine."

Ron gulped, "Why would Sirius Black want to kill Rose?"

"That's the thing, he doesn't," Harry stated. He looked at his friends in worry, "they said he wants to take her."

Shocked expressions were all around, silence consumed them.

"It does make sense," Hermione began. "Pro- I mean Rose's guardian insisted we call twice a day and note any usual activities. Probably didn't want to alarm us, especially Rose of _him._ "

"Guardian?" Ron sounded surprised. "Where are her parents?"

"Well-"

"Are we slowing down?" Ron interrupted. He tried to look through the window just as the train started to slow down.

"We can't be there yet" Hermione said looking at her watch.

"So, why're we stopping?"

Harry got up to stick his head out of the compartment to only see other students do the same. "I don't see anything." All that could be heard was the rain pounded against the windows.

"What's taking Rose so long?" Hermione said, holding onto Priscilla who was nuzzling Crookshanks.

"Probably eating the pasties she bought to buy more," Ron said absentmindedly.

"Ron," Harry and Hermione whisper yelled.

"What?" He said innocently. "You know it's true," he muttered.

The train stopped with a jolt causing the lamps to go out. From far they could hear luggage falling out of the racks. The trio failed to realize someone came into their compartment.

"Ouch, that's my foot, Ron," Hermione whisper yelled.

" _Sorry, it was me,"_ Rose whistled, startling all of them.

"R-rose? W-was that y-you?" Hermione stuttered.

Rose whistled while Harry went to close the compartment door.

"Took you long enough, Rose," Harry said. Rose whistled louder, they both smiled. They both knew they were.

Rose sat on the floor with Priscilla on her lap.

Suddenly, she heard the window making a sound, slowly frost was spreading reaching Lupin's bottle of water.

They were here.

The ground keepers of Azkaban.

"I think someone's boarding the train," Ron said shakily. Priscilla nuzzled her face on Rose's sensing her anxiety growing.

Suddenly the door opened to reveal a cloaked figure that towered up to the ceiling.

A hand grabbed Rose's shoulder. "Sit up," a hoarse voice said. The following events happened fast. From the dementor taking a liking to Harry to Lupin using a charm to make the hooded figure leave.

She was glad the cold feeling has left the room. During the ordeal, Harry has fainted on her lap. Rose was mangling his hair from his face, waiting for him to wake up. She took notice of an unusual expression sitting on Hermione's face that she couldn't quite decipher.

Perhaps envy? Who knows. . .

"You should try and wake up your friend." His face was tired, completely exhausted, yet his eye filled with concern.

"Harry, Harry," Hermione called.

"Wake up," Ron followed. Slowly Harry started to blink.

Rose peeped over and gave him his glasses. He took them and sat straight up realizing he was on her lap. "T-thank you," he muttered. He tried to hide his blush, but it was unsuccessful.

"Here take this, it'll help," Professor Lupin said. "It's chocolate," Harry took it and muttered another thank you before taking a bit into it.

"What was that thing?"

"It was a dementor, one of the guards of Azkaban. Don't worry, it's gone now, it was searching the train for Sirius Black." They all nodded. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to speak to the driver." With that Lupin stood up and left the compartment with Rose right behind him.

"Rose," he said not turning around. "Go back to your friends," She didn't respond. He stopped causing her to bump into. He turned watching her rub her nose. He smiled, "How much you've grown." She slowly nodded. She brought her hand to the wall and started knocking it. His smile grew, "Yes Rose, I am staying." Rose smiled before scowling as Lupin ruffled her hair. "Now be good and go back to the compartment." She nodded and watched him walk away.

Instead of going back to the compartment, she went to find the trolley lady. Rose wanted to eat her anxiety away, if that was possible.

"Ah, back for more?" Rose nodded, "Two?" The lady turned away from Rose behind the girl could answer.

"Three please," Rose wrote. Unfortunately, the lady had her back to Rose. She wasn't going to whistle at the elder lady, so she stood there patiently.

"She wants three," a voice said from behind. Rose swiftly turned around to see the dark-haired boy she always passed by on the way to the kitchen.

"Here you go, dear," the lady smiled giving Rose the pumpkin pasties who in return gave the right amount of change.

"Anything for you dear?" The lady gestured to the boy.

"Just one pumpkin pasty for me please."

Once the lady left the boy turned towards Rose.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Are those all for you?" He looked at the pasties. Rose nodded. "Didn't you buy a lot before?"

"Didn't you?" She wrote.

He laughed making her smile. "Mine dropped when the train abruptly stopped then someone stepped on it." Rose could empathize.

"I know we've seen each other a few times but never really spoke until now. I'm Cedric."

"The famous Hufflepuff Seeker."

He chuckled, "so you know who I am."

"Oliver and the twins speak fondly of you."

"That's good . . . I think. It's Rose, isn't it?" She nodded. "Is it true you're getting sorted again?"

She nodded again, "hence the stress eating."

Cedric gave a soft smile. "Don't worry. Just keep in mind, you already have a friend in Hufflepuff. It'd be easier for you to sneak into the kitchen." With that, they parted ways.

The rest of the journey went smoothly up until the Great Hall. Hermione and Harry were escorted away by Professor McGonagall leaving Rose and Ron alone to make their way to their table.

"Hope Harry is alright," she wrote.

"He should be, I'm just wondering why you're not with them."

"I didn't faint, did I?"

"No," he shook his head. "But you were pretty shaken up."

"Yeah. I'll be fine with some-."

"Pumpkin pasties," he interjected.

"You know me so well," they smiled before sitting down.

"You'll be fine," Ron assured. "You'll be in the house you're meant to be in."

" _I hope you're right."_

"I'm not delicate," Harry said crossly.

"Of course not," Madam Pomfrey said while taking his pulse. They were in Professor McGonagall's office. Professor Lupin had sent an owl ahead with regards to the Dementor incident.

"What does he need?" McGonagall enquired, "bed rest?"

"I'm fine!" Harry said irritated. No one was listening to him. "Can we go now?"

"He should have some chocolate, at the very least."

"I've already had some," Harry said letting Madam Pomfrey finish her check-up in defeat. "Professor Lupin gave me some."

"Did he now?" She said approvingly. "Finally, we got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies"

"Are you sure you feel all right, Potter?" Professor McGonagall said sharply.

"Yes. May we be excused?" He said urgently.

"Why the rush?"

"The Sorting Hat ceremony. R-Rose." He wanted to know if she'll be in Gryffindor again this year. "W-what if she's not sorting again?" It was a question the trio wondered before leaving the train.

McGonagall looked at Hermione before meeting Harry's eyes. "If she's not sorted today, she'll officially be in Gryffindor." They all smiled even McGonagall. "Now, kindly wait outside while I have a quick word with Miss Granger about her course schedule, then we can go to the Great Hall together."

By the time they reached the hall the Sorting Ceremony had ended, Hermione and Harry quickly found Ron and sat with him. He had a sullen face, from a far the twins did too. Harry looked at Professor McGonagall whose face was grim.

"Where's Rose?" Harry asked.

"She was sorted?" Hermione asked Ron who simply nodded.

"W-wait, she's not in Gryffindor?" Ron shook his head. Harry didn't know what to think. _"Why?_ "

"I don't see her in Ravenclaw," Hermione whispered, looking around.

"What House was she sorted into, Ron?" Harry asked desperately.

"Why don't you turn around, Potter?" Harry could feel the smirk on his pale face. He turned and saw his Rose next to Malfoy.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15

Moments before. . .

"Rose!" After the first years were sorted, it was Rose's turn. Murmurs were heard as she made her way to the stool. She saw Hagrid give her a thumbs ups before sitting down, facing the students.

She felt the hat being placed on her head.

"Again. . ." the sorting hat muttered. He couldn't get a thing.

Just blank.

Rose was just looking around seeing new and old faces waiting for the hat to sort her. Her eyes fell upon another pair, a pair of eyes that wouldn't leave hers. She always wondered why he never instantly looked away.

The Sorting Hat was getting frustrated. Third time and nothing, it was affecting his pride more than a hat would admit. Remembering the events that took place in the Chamber the Hat yelled a House that even shocked himself, _"Slytherin!"_

Rose and Draco's eyes grew wide at the word.

No applause, just silence.

It was a few minutes later someone took the hat off her head. She looked up and saw Professor Snape giving Professor Flitwick the Hat. Rose quickly stood up for the stool to be taken.

She noticed a glint in Snape's eyes and how the side of his mouth curled ever so slightly.

"This needs to be changed," Snape pointed his wand to the emblem on her robe, from Gryffindor to Slytherin it went.

Just like that. _"Guess it's official."_

"Follow me," and so she did. She realized he was escorting her to the Slytherin table.

"Malfoy," Snape stopped at him. "I can rely on you to make Rose comfortable?"

"Y-yes Professor," he said, moving a little.

"Zabini move over, she's not a stick," he did as he was told.

" _I'm also not fat._ "

Snape smiled at her, "welcome home," with that he left her there.

"You going to sit?" Rose quickly sat keeping her elbows to herself. Despite her getting taller, she felt slightly short between the two boys, but she missed the towering of the twins. She was avoiding turning around to see them. Her back was exposed to the Gryffindor's glares.

 **THUD**

"Ow, Parkinson. What's your problem?" Zabini said, rubbing his shin.

"Oh sorry," she cooed. "I was aiming for someone else," she looked at Rose.

Rose was smart enough to sit cross-legged on the bench itself. It seemed she needs to be on guard a lot.

Malfoy took note silently before he heard whispering behind them.

" _I don't see her in Ravenclaw."_

" _What house was she sorted into, Ron?"_

"Why don't you turn around, Potter?" Draco said turning to the side while Rose stared at him, wide-eyed.

Rose slowly turned and met Harry's eyes. A look of hurt was apparent, but anger flared when he flickered his eyes back to Malfoy. Malfoy gave a knowing smirk before turning around. Harry then glanced at Rose before turning back.

Hermione tried her best to give Rose a reassuring smile. She nodded; Ron did the same before she turned back. It was then she realized she was in the middle of the snake pit.

The announcements went over Rose's head, she knew Lupin was the new DADA teacher and that Hagrid would be filling in for Care of Magical Creatures. She was also aware of the dementors 'protecting' Hogwarts.

She could feel the glares from everyone, she wasn't sure if she'd survive.

"Looks like we gained a scared rat," Nott commented, causing those around to laugh, mainly Crabbe and Goyle.

"Says the one that eats like one," she wrote. Greengrass choked on her water while Bultrode snorted. Rose looked at Draco who smiled at her, she gave a nod before looking back at her food.

The journey to Slytherin was different, much colder as Rose made her way to the dungeon. A blank section of a stone wall parted leading to the concealed door of the Slytherin's common room. It dawned on Rose that she would actually have to wait in the cold for someone to open the door for her.

There was no portrait to see her blackboard.

Even though Draco was a few feet in front of her, she could still see him, he suddenly turned to her. "This is the common room," he said nonchalantly.

" _No kidding."_

"I'll take her to the dormitories, Malfoy," It was a Prefect Rose didn't recognise.

"S-sure. I'll see you tomorrow, Baby. . ." He hesitated for a second going flush, "Gryffindor," he muttered.

The prefect smirked before looking at the girl. "Follow me, I'll take you to your room." Rose nodded and followed suite.

One staircase, a turn, pass two doors and there they were. "Even though you're a third year, it's your first year in Slytherin," she stated as she opened the door. "Come on." She led them through the room. "For that reason, you'll be living with first years. I reckon it's better for you. I think everyone, mainly your year need to adjust to the fact that you're a Slytherin." Rose nodded. "Don't worry," she reassured. "Professor Snape welcomed you home, this is your home. Now go meet your new roommates and sleep. And no walking after curfew or detention it'll be," she winked before closing the door.

Rose stared at the closed door for a long time before it clicked. _"I forgot to ask her name."_

She looked around and saw three girls talking. She walked past them and stared at her new bed. _"Green doesn't look too bad."_ She brought Priscilla from the cage who instantly took a liking to the bed.

"H-hi," Rose turned to see the girls looking at her.

"Hi," she wrote.

"So, it's true, you don't speak," another said.

"Yeah. I'm Rose."

"I'm Harriet, this one is Alice."

"We're cousins."

"You probably shouldn't start with that," Harriet nudged her shoulder.

"Oh oops," Alice giggled awkwardly. Rose looked at the two carefully, there was a slight resemblance.

"I'm Gre- Astoria." Rose smiled weakly and nodded at the third girl.

" _This one is frail."_

"I hope we can all get along," Alice said before taking Harriet to her bed. Rose took it as her cue to head to bed. She can only hope that this year would be okay. But then her thoughts drifted to Sirius Black and she knew this year would be a challenge compared to her previous years.

The next morning went by with bumps. Obstacles after another. She couldn't bear to look at anyone, especially those in Gryffindor. She managed to get Harriet to see if the Golden Trio were there. She remained outside the Great Halls out of sight. Prissy brought her toast but she refused to eat. The morning at the common room was so overwhelming that she left early and wandered the hallways. She was radiating anxiety that even Peeves didn't go near her.

Rose remained invisible in her classes like first year, she stayed in her bubble and focused on the subject at hand. Her blackboard remained unused. Her elective for the year were Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Care for Magical Creatures.

She wasn't allowed to take Divination after talking to her guardian. From taking whatever classes you like to a flat no. She didn't question it since she could take Arithmancy.

She understood why Professor Snape asked Draco to look after her, they had the same classes. She only realized this when he told her about where to go for the next class.

Repeatedly.

He hasn't realized that she's doesn't talk. . .It didn't mean she was deaf. Or have lack of coordination.

If not, why else would he check up on her?

It was finally lunch time the trio were in their usual spot in Great Hall.

"Hermione if Harry's seen a Grim, that's- that's bad," Ron began. "My Uncle- Bilius saw one and he died twenty-four hours later!"

"Coincidence," Hermione said airily.

"Agreed," the twins say as they sat beside their brother.

"Have you seen Rose?" They got down to business.

"Why do you care? She's in Slytherin."

 **Whack!**

"She's still our friend," George said.

"Slytherin or not," Fred continued, glaring at his younger brother who stayed quiet, rubbing his head.

"She's been quiet," Hermione began. "In Arithmancy she barely said a word."

"Have you seen her in the Great Hall?" Fred asked, hopeful.

"Not since last night," Harry spoke. He didn't know what to think about Rose being in Slytherin. He was so used to her being by his side.

"It-it's just the first day. I'm sure she's in the library trying to stay ahead of her classes," George said. He looked at his twin and knew he didn't believe a word he had said.

With that, Hermione took her bag and walked away, and soon the twins did too leaving Ron and Harry by themselves in the crowded hall.

It was clear to those that left that the boys were sour over the House.

Not all Slytherins were bad.

Some just spoke louder than others. . .

"Hang on, how would Hermione know about Rose? She hasn't been to an Arithmancy class yet."

Harry just shrugged.

When the students reached the door to Hagrid's hut, not many were surprised to see Rose already there.

"C'mon, now," Hagrid called. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Follow me!" They walked to a clearing near the edge of the Dark Forest with a paddock close by. "Less chattin', now open yer book ter page forty-nine."

"How do we open our books?"

"You stroke their spine, of course," Malfoy said in the most obvious tone. Most were shocked he knew but then they saw Rose next to him, who seemed oblivious to their looks.

"I thought they were funny," Hagrid admitted, Rose smiled at him.

"Oh, yeah, terribly funny," said Malfoy sarcastically. "Really witty, giving us books that could-Ow! Watch it." He lifted his foot as he saw Rose's glare. Rose whistled an apology as Hagrid left the students to head to the paddock.

"God, this place has gone to the dogs," Malfoy began, "wait 'till my father hears that, Dumbledore got this oaf teaching classes." He made sure to keep far from rose when he said that. He was surprised to see her all the way by the fence of the paddock, he didn't think anything further as his thoughts were interrupted.

"Shut up, Malfoy." Malfoy smirked passing by Harry reaching the paddock.

Everyone had seemed to follow.

Some were surprised Malfoy didn't say anything back to Harry.

Action spoke louder than words.

Perhaps he was maturing.

Unlikely. . .

"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid yelled happily. "Beau'iful, aren' they? Firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Hippogriffs is, they're proud creatures. Easily offended, don' ever insult one, 'because it might be the last thing yeh ever do."

Hagrid wanted the students to do one-on-one with Buckbeak before introducing them to the other Hippogriffs in the paddock. It was Rose's turn to meet Buckbeak, what Hagrid forgot to mention was that Buckbeak was probably the one with the most pride.

" _Bowing is much easier than approaching. My legs won't move,_ " she internally wept, finally taking a step forward, while Buckbeak was doing most of the approaching.

"Oh, please," Malfoy started moving close to Rose "You're not dangerous at all, are you? You great ugly brute."

All Rose remembered were talons coming at her. . . or were they claws? Her vision was blurred, she could only hear a tone-deaf ring going around. It happened all so fast.

Malfoy was on the ground next to her, clenching his arm as blood was on his hands. She quickly took off her tie and wrapped it around his injured arm. She pulled out her wand to enchant her chalk while her other hand clutched the left side of her face.

"Calm the class. We're going to the infirmary." She didn't wait for a response as she took ahold of Draco's robe and they walked to the Hospital Wing.

Initially they both walked fast in the silence but soon their pace had slowed. It was the second time Rose had tripped over her foot.

"Watch where you're going Baby Gryffindor," he said irritated. "We're nearly there." After some hesitation, he placed his hand on her left shoulder to keep her steady on his side.

"Wait, why is it damp? Is your shoulder damp?" He answered his own question by lifting his hand to see his palm red. "Merlin's beard, you're bleeding!"

It seemed to have slipped his mind that he wasn't the only one injured.

How selfless. . .

He quickly turned her face to the side. The bleeding had no intentions of stopping, most of the wound was covered by her now blood-soaked hair. Rose immediately clamped both hands on the left side of her head. He noticed that she was close to crying, _"It must be hurting."_

They had finally reached the door to the wing. "Just a little bit more," he would have continued to speak profanities if he hasn't seen Rose's wound. It freaked him out over anything.

They were both bombarded with nurses when they entered. By the time Malfoy was bandaged and cleaned up, Rose was still being attended to. She had passed out the moment they started attending her wounds on the bed. His bed was next to hers so he could hear everything they were saying about her.

He didn't want to admit it, but his stupid move may have caused her hearing impairment.

"Malfoy," A nurse called for him. "You have a visitor." Before he could decline, Parkinson came into view.

"What do you want?" he said annoyed.

"I-I wanted to see how you were doing," she took a chair and sat by his bed.

He smirked, "Why? Do you want to take care of me?" He could see her hesitation. "I'm joking, I wouldn't let you take care of me if you were the last witch alive."

"So mean," she croaked.

"I need to rest. As you can see, I'm alive. You can go." With that he put the blanket over him and turned away from her. It wasn't long before he actually went to sleep.

It was sometime in the evening Rose woke up, she was in her own world with the curtains closed around her bed. Her hand straight away shot to her left ear to feel a large bandage over it. She knew Buckbeak's talons had gotten her, she felt her ear tear, but she couldn't feel anything now.

" _Maybe I imagined it. But that face. I saw eyes."_

Unbeknownst to Rose, a memory was resurfacing. A memory that was buried for a reason. A past that caused her to be in the situation she has been in for seven years.

"Good, you're awake," a hoarse voice said to her.

Rose blinked a few times as she saw the person. Rubbing her eyes at the base of her palm to make sure her eyes was seeing right. He chuckled.

"How are you feeling?" She stifled a yawn. "Sleepy, got it," he mocked, to only yawn himself.

Rose whistled, she looked around and immediately grabbed her blackboard. "I don't feel anything."

"Madam Pomfrey did place a numbing agent on your wound. Nasty things those talons can do." Rose nodded. "Want to tell me what happened?" Rose stayed quiet for a little longer than expected before she shook her head. "I'll let you off for tonight, but I expect to hear about it tomorrow. Now, are you hungry?"

Rose immediately shook her head before her stomach betrayed her. _"Traitor,"_ she grumbled.

He chuckled, "I got you this." Her face light up when she saw the pumpkin pasty. "At least eat this, I know you haven't eaten all day. It's no wonder you passed out when you got here."

"I'm sorry Professor."

"Rose, we're alone. There's no need to be formal," he smiled. She missed this more than she expected.

"Thank you, Moony," she began to slowly eat the pastry as tears rolled down her cheek.

Lupin patted her head. "It's okay, Rose. It's going to be okay."

" _What happened?" He crouched down to the little girl who was staring at her knee. "Did you fall down?"_

" _I-I did."_

 _He placed a bandage over the wound as gently as possible. "There, it'll heal in no time."_

" _O-okay. Thank you, Uncle Remus."_

 _He patted her head. "It's okay, Rose. It's going to be okay."_

He smiled at the memory.

"Now I want you to get some rest. You'll be staying the night here." Lupin drew Rose from the very same memory and looked at him.

"Do I have to? I don't feel anything."

"Exactly the reason why you need to stay here," he started to collect his things. "Hermione left your things here while you were asleep. I used my teacher privileges to come and see you. You are not allowed any visitors until you get the clear from Madam Pomfrey. Apparently, you'd get hounded with gifts."

She silently giggled. "Doubt that'll happen this time around, different House remember."

"Oh, come now Rose. Being in a different House may seem like a damper now but they'll come around." She nodded. "This is for you. I believe you already know who it's from," he gave her a note. A parchment she was quite similar with.

They smiled at each other before he left.

I heard about what happened.

Don't think it's your fault, I'm just glad you're okay.

Make sure to rest.

Don't feel like you've disappointed us. Remember, your mother was a Slytherin, you are just as bright as her.

Rose smiled before putting the note away. _"Maybe that's why they wanted me to get her letters. I was asking a lot about her during the holidays. . ."_

Prissy popped up on her bed. _"No visitors, huh."_ She smiled before eventually falling asleep.

She woke up with a cold sweat.

" _All I can remember were those eyes."_ She slowly sat upright. _"I wonder where I saw them before."_ She brought Priscilla on her lap and lightly stroked her fur. The black wolf was nowhere in sight, but it was expected at times.

She noticed that her uniform was clean despite what happened the previous day. She took it upon herself to open her curtain. There was no point hiding given the whole school would know what had happened to her and Malfoy. The nurses didn't notice her, so she decided to admire the sunrise from the closest window. She sighed, _"Sleeping in the Great Lake is nice, but I miss the warmth."_

"Tch, why can't they have curtains on these damn windows." She knew that voice all too well.

She took her blackboard as she walked to his bed. "Good morning to you too," she wrote.

"Good? What's so good about this morning?" He readjusted himself on his bed adjusting his collar.

"Someone isn't a morning person." He just grunted. She took note of his head hair; it was quite amusing to see it curled at his tips compared to the usual straight ends.

"I see you're both awake. Good, we'll check your wounds then you may have breakfast." Madam Pomfrey left the two Slytherins to get nurses to examine them both.

The rest of the day was quiet. Rose closed her curtains and focused on work. Remus did pop by and she gave the run-down of what happened. He knew she wasn't at fault, but he did wonder why her wound was far worse compared to the other Slytherin.

Hermione made a visit, but the boys were a no show. When Rose heard that, she requested no more visitors. However, Crookshanks and Priscilla were the exceptions.

They hadn't gotten the memo, but she wasn't going to send them away.

She needed the company.

She used whatever she could to distract herself. Madam Pomfrey wasn't letting her leave the wing until the bleeding has stopped for her. It was unusual to say the least. While Malfoy's wound was partial of a deep cut, Rose was something else. The potions to mend the ear was working slower than expected. It shouldn't have been a problem given Rose's normal speedy recovery but this time around it was different.

After dinner was served, Rose was bored. She couldn't look at anymore work. Her feline buddies had disappeared, she could hear the faint snores of the blond boy taking the high-end luxury of doing nothing but sleep.

" _Perhaps, if I don't make a sound I could."_ Rose quietly creped from of bed making sure the coast was clear and began tip toing to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Her voice boomed in the Wing. "Get back to bed." Rose's shoulders slumped, she turned and saw Madam Pomfrey with her arms crossed. "You are to stay a few more night until I see progress on your ear."

If Rose could, she herself would've been mumbling profanities on her way to her bed.

"Seriously? Sneaking out of the Hospital wing? Baby Gryffindor, you can do better," he snickered.

" _I've done better, hmph."_

 **Thump**

She threw her pillow at Draco's face.

"What's your problem?" He threw back her pillow which she caught with ease.

"You."

"What did I do?"

"Stated the obvious."

"Seriously?" He rubbed his face.

"Is the Slytherin Prince hurt?"

"Yes, I am. You going to take care of me?"

"Not even if you were the last person alive."

He smiled, which took her by surprise. "Ouch." She stuck out her tongue him before pulling forward the curtain between them. "Hey, Baby Gryffindor." No response. "Tsk," he smiled before he stared at the ceiling.

They had no idea they were doing the same thing.

 _She walked into the forest, wind blowing the fallen leaves across her path. The full moon shining in the starless sky._

 _She took the time to admire it, despite the headaches it sometimes gives her._

 _A howl was heard bringing her back to reality. "He's catching up to me."_

 _Barefooted, she ran going further and further into the heart of the forest. A pounding headache erupted her thoughts. Steps could be heard, gaining behind her. "I don't know where to go."_

 _The sound of crushing leaves ringing in her ears._

 _Frightened to look she ran faster, ignoring the ache in her feet. Not looking ahead, she tripped. Before she could get up, she knew it was over, seeing a large shadow in her view._

 _She slowly turned to see the one she feared cowering over her with a sinister smile._

 _All she could do was scream while he howled._

 _He let out a nasty snarl as he was inch from her face. Her cries became mute as tears flowed down her face._

 _No one could save her now._

 _The beast slashed her throat and upper body, causing her to cough out blood. He roamed around her until she stopped shaking._

 _Dashed off out of sight thinking he has done his deed._

 _All she could do was hold onto her throat before she finally gave up._

She upright, panting heavily.

Her eyes shot open.

She finally remembered her dream.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 16

Panting heavily, her eyes shot open.

She finally remembered her dream.

She quickly got to her feet and ran to the bathroom, heaving her stomach contents.

She rinsed her mouth before staring at herself in the mirror. Her fingers trembling on the basin, attempting to tighten their grip.

Staring into her reflection, flashes of her dream took over the mirrors to a point she just saw fear in her eyes.

She squeezed her eyes shut in hopes to calm herself. _"I'm okay, it'll be okay."_

Once again, she looked in the mirror, to only see herself. She slowly pulled down her top to reveal her left collar bone. Her other hand softly tracing her scars.

The scars left by claws.

Her eyes widened as her breath hitched up in her throat.

How could she have forgotten? The night that changed her life. The night that turned her life upside down once again.

She went pale, spacing out looking at the mirror. Her thoughts were jumbled, trying to grasp at the memories.

"What's all the ruckus?" Rose flinched at the voice. "Who's making all the noise?" Madam Pomfrey was in the bathroom angered by the door that was slammed moments before. Rose hasn't realized she did when she dashed to the sink.

"Rose, what are you doing? My goodness you're pale," Madam Pomfrey approached with intentions of examining her.

 **Slap**

Rose's eyes grew wide, she hadn't mean to slap the hand away. She looked at Madam Pomfrey seeing her shocked face before her own started to form tears.

"Oh, Rose. What happened? Are you okay?" She simply nodded, wiping away her tears. "Let's get you back to bed. Head to bed, I'll be there soon." She followed the instructions, eventually sitting upright on her bed.

"This is a calming draught. This particular one is concentrated, just take three drops. Take one every so often if you're feeling upset again. You should be able to sleep with this." Madam Pomfrey left the potion on Rose's beside table before leaving the girl alone in hopes she would sleep.

Rose didn't sleep.

Staring at the ceiling was all she could do. She was sleeping alone this time around; she was worried if she'd have the same dream again. But she left somewhat peaceful with the draught she had taken.

" _It wasn't the first time remembering_ that _, but it's been a long time since I last thought of it. No wonder my sleeping habits stink,"_ she heavily sighed.

She watched as the sun's rays spread across the walls of the wing. She knew it was an appropriate time to get ready for the day. If she showed them, she was well, perhaps she could go to class.

She was on her way to Potions with Draco.

She knew she wasn't in the clear yet, she needed more check-ups if she were to go back to her room. She immediately nodded at that. A small smile creeped on her face; things could get back to normal.

She was unaware of the gossip surrounding her wound, and how much of a pawn she was to the Slytherins involving Hagrid with Buckbeak.

"Why are you in such a hurry, Baby Gryffindor?"

Rose turned around looking at him confused. "We're late for class."

"Yeah, no matter how fast you are, we'll still be late, so walk slower."

She grimaced, waiting on him.

"What's with you today? You seem off."

"How would you know?"

"I know stuff," he placed his hands behind his head, sticking out his elbows. Evidently, his left elbow resting on top of her head.

She rolled her eyes, _"Sure you do."_

"Ah, we're reaching class. Help me adjust my sling." Rose just stared at him. "Come on, Baby Gryffindor, don't you want to get to class?" He started fiddling with the sling, but it was of no use.

"Say please Draco," she simply wrote.

It took him awhile to respond, focusing on how his name was written.

He cleared his throat, "Fine. Please." Rose simply nodded before adjusting his sling. She walked behind him as they entered the classroom. Instantly Rose could hear her name being mentioned.

" _Maybe it wasn't the best idea to come to class."_

"Does it hurt, Draco?" Parkinson rushed to him.

"It comes and it goes," he said faking his pain. "I consider myself lucky, Madam Pomfrey said that I- ah could've lost my arm if I was closer."

" _And I lost my ear,"_ Rose frowned in thought.

"Settle down," Professor Snape said simply. "Take your seats and get started. I assume you know what's happening, Rose?" He looked down and noticed how large the bandage was.

Madam Pomfrey told her to keep her hair out of the way as it would be easier to do the regular check-ups. So, Rose decided on a bun. It wasn't the best, twist the hair as much as you can then tie. Due to laziness, she had to re-do it at least once.

"Go follow Malfoy, Rose." She did as she was told. She suddenly changed, she wanted to get the class over and done with.

With no issues.

With Malfoy? There's never a peaceful time.

"Sir, I'll need help cutting these daisy roots," Malfoy spoke out.

She stood corrected.

"Weasley, cut up Malfoy's roots," Snape didn't even bother to look up.

Ron was fuming. "There's nothing wrong with your arm," he gritted his teeth at the blond, while he only smirked.

Ron reached for Malfoy's roots for it to only be swiped from him.

Rose began cutting his roots as she already finished with hers. She had viewed the steps before hand and worked at a steady pace. Doing two of the same potions at once wasn't going to be tricky.

She needed the distraction.

"I'll do it for you," she wrote. He gave a small nod.

He watched her skinning both of their shrivelfig, noticing how focused she was, making sure she was doing everything right. He then noticed the boys looking at them.

He smirked, "Seen your friend Hagrid recently?" They didn't comment. "I'm afraid he won't be a teacher much longer," he mocked his sorrow.

She slowed her pace, _"I never asked Hermione how Hagrid was doing. I hope he's okay."_

"Keep taking, Malfoy and I'll give you a real injury," Ron was ready to sock him at any moment.

Blondie continued, ignoring the threat. He sighed dramatically, "who knows if my arm will ever be the same again." At that point, Rose thought of her ear, could Madam Pomfrey really fix it?

"So that's why you're putting it on," Harry spoke out. "You're trying to get Hagrid fired," he looked at Rose, who returned his glare.

"Well," he whispered, "for other benefits Potter, that's just a bonus."

"You too?" Harry asked Rose. He hasn't spoken to her all this time and this was a straight up accusation.

"Oh, Rose's injury was far worse than mine. Those talons practically took her ear off," he softly laughed, "Madam Pomfrey doesn't even know how to fix- Rose!" He whispered yelled, looking at her. He kept his distance to make sure she didn't dig her shoe into his again.

"Shut up," she continued to write. "All of you, we're aren't here for idle chit chat." She faced the blackboard to the Gryffindor boys. "My injury doesn't concern you, if you really wanted to know, you would've visited when Hermione did." With that, all the boys stayed quiet.

This was a new side to Rose the Gryffindor boys hadn't seen; it was Hermione who would tell them off. Getting told off by Rose you'd hope the boys would reflect on what they thought of her.

Or would this only aid their clouded judgement of her?

They never said a word, Malfoy meekly volunteered to stir which Rose nodded at.

She was determined on making the shrinking solution a success.

Once Snape left Neville shaking in fear, he looked around the classroom to see everyone's progress. From afar he watched Rose, how much she looked like her mother having put her hair in a bun.

It was something _she_ would do every time she had her Potions lesson. It looked like she was ready to fight a troll over keeping her hair out of the cauldron. It would always amuse him how eccentric she would be about Potions. It was probably one of the times where he wished they were the same age to have their classes together.

He noticed Rose go ridged, walking closer he eavesdropped on the conversation at hand.

"By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone," Finnigan replied.

"Have you finished your solution Finnigan? I think not. No gossip while in my class, and especially not about Sirius Black. Five points deducted from Gryffindor." The Slytherins chuckled. "If I hear someone else mention his name, it'll be detention **no matter who it is**."

Pin drop silence.

Rose began to clear her things while the solution simmered. She seemed to be ahead of everyone else, which seemed unusual. But she figured, Hermione was helping Neville with his potion.

She walked to Snape's desk, making sure to pass by Neville placing a small note on the way. "I've finished, Sir."

"Hmm. Is that so?" His eyes remained on his work, glancing at her blackboard every now and then. Once he realized she wasn't planning to answer he met her eyes. "Perhaps you should go, freshen up before your next class," he whispered. She simply nodded before grabbing her bag, heading out, avoiding the look she was receiving from the boys.

"Ah, are you okay?" Rose turned to the voice.

"I'm fine, Greengrass. I'll see you in the next class."

"I'll save you a seat." Rose never responded and simply walked out.

It wasn't long before she ended up at a certain teacher's office door.

 **Knock, knock**

"Come in, it's open."

Rose opened and shut the door behind her.

"Oh Rose. Is class out?" She shook her head. "You didn't skip, did you?" She shook her head again. "Want to tell me what's wrong?" She remained still against the door.

Lupin got up from his seat and walked to her. "Have you been eating? You're looking a little pale. Kind of like me on _those_ days," he softly chuckled to lighten the mood, but nothing.

Her eyes were focused on his tattered briefcase. She could recognize it from anywhere. She started to lightly knock the door. _"It's the one my father gave you."_

He smiled softly at her. "Yes, it is. It's a little worse for wear, but it was a gift and I will always treasure it."

She smiled, _"Did you know I choose it?"_

"Yes. You told me the moment I unwrapped it."

She knitted her brows and knocked faster, _"I don't-"_

"Slower Rose," he chuckled, "I'm quite rusty when it comes to this code stuff."

She grabbed her blackboard. "I don't remember telling you, father used it all the time," she wrote.

"Your father and his paranoia," he sighed. "Muggle code," he muttered.

She tilted her head, "Well that's one way to put it since they use it." He smiled.

"Always takes time to open up," he muttered looking at Rose. "So why are you here early?"

She shrugged. "Professor Snape said I could leave early."

"He did? That's quite unusual."

"He has a soft spot for mama."

"That he did." He placed the back of his hand on her forehead. "No abnormal high temperature. You're still pale, though. After class you're going back to Madam Pomfrey." She nodded. "Let's get the class ready, just leave your bag on one of the desks. We'll be preparing class in a different room."

Lupin had told her of the boggart. Since she was little, she wanted to see one, but after her dreams she knew it wasn't wise to go near one. She didn't have the guts to tell him of her dreams.

No one knew of her bad dreams, aside from Hermione.

But even then. . .Hermione didn't know what the dreams consisted of.

Sometimes, neither did Rose.

Deep down Rose knew this wasn't the only memory taunting her.

Just one of many.

Though most were memories mixed with her imagination. What was real and what was not?

She helped her Uncle set the classroom, moving the desks and chairs. She even placed the gramophone, it was nostalgic.

" _Plan B. . . I wonder if it's still there."_

Once the classroom was set, Lupin went back to gather the students while Rose went to freshen up.

Though he had no idea she planned to relief her stomach.

She had left the bile at the back of her throat and did her best not to sound desperate for the bathroom.

The memories were overwhelming to say the least. Her body wasn't responding well. The calming draught seemed to be wearing off quite fast.

So much for strong concentration.

After washing her face, a couple of times, she did feel brighter. Hopefully it was enough to last the lesson.

 **Crack!**

Rose watched as the students stood in a single line to have their turn. She noticed that Gryffindor students were split with Slytherin smack in the middle of the line.

" _Perhaps he wanted to end the class on a good note."_

Eventually Hermione caught Rose's attention and gestured for her to join her. She was hesitant as she slowly walked to her, Hermione was close to the front of the line with Neville.

She passed by Slytherins in the process who would only stare at her white bandage. She tried her best to keep her hand hovered over it, but no use. It was quite the sore thumb. A sore thumb on top of a sore thumb.

Hard to vividly imagine it.

"Does it hurt?" The same voice from Potions. Greengrass seemed genuine, which was odd given what happened the previous year.

"It comes and it goes," she wrote.

"I doubt it hurts as much as Draco's," Parkinson butted in.

"Probably not," Rose wrote before beginning to walk away.

Parkinson stuck out her foot, causing Rose to fumble over her feet to the front of the line. "She can't even walk in a straight line. Oh, how embarrassing," she called out. Majority of the Slytherins and some Gryffindors were laughing.

Rose flushed at her embarrassment, she looked up to see Harry giving her a stern face causing her to go more red.

 **Crack!**

Rose turned and realized she was at the front of the line.

It was her boggart.

Her fear.

She froze in her spot.

Those who saw what it was, took a few steps back out of shock. Harry and Lupin froze in their position. One from curiosity, the other through realization.

 _It_ was facing their back against them. All hutched, grey fur on its back.

Hind legs slowly moving revealing claws.

Saliva dripping down it's chin with a menacing grin. Its sharp teeth were evident.

Front claws dripping red liquid on the ground.

There stood the beast from her dreams, the eyes that taunt her staring back at her.

It crept closer and closer, before swinging its arm in the air to slash.

Her brain wasn't working, she just stared.

Harry forcefully pulled Rose behind him. **Crack!**

All Rose could do was stare at the direction of Harry.

She didn't pay attention to anything else. She was in shock.

"Rose, Rose. Can you hear me?" She blinked a few times looking at the person in front of her. She began knocking on her blackboard. "Rose, what are you doing?"

"She's alright, Hermione." Lupin interjected. Rose looked at him then back at Hermione before viewing the empty classroom. "Class ended a few minutes ago, Rose. Why don't we go get your bag and head to the Hospital Wing?" Rose nodded.

Lupin picked up Rose's bag heading out the classroom. "Thank you for staying back Hermione. I believe your friends are waiting for you. Don't worry, I'll take good care of her."

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said softly before looking at Rose. Her best friend was staring at the ground without intention of looking her in the eye. "I hope you get well soon. You know I'm always here if you need me."

No response.

"Oh, you got a letter from my parents. I placed it in your bag," Hermione gave a quick hug before walking to the boys who were confused about the whole situation that took place.

Harry kept his eyes on the quiet girl, sorrow was evident in his eyes. Sighing heavily, he took one last look at her before following his best friends.

It was just Lupin and Rose walking in the hallway. For Lupin, it was more of a suffocating air compressing his lungs than the usual comfortable air he was used to.

"Rose," he placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry Rose. I froze, I wasn't expecting- I didn't know you were-" He wasn't good with his words. "I'm sorry I made you go through that, Rose. There won't be any more of that. I assure you."

Rose gave a weak smile, she held onto his sleeve and they walked.

Lupin recognized Rose's boggart instantly, but he was curious as to how she would've known. He knew it was going to be on his mind for weeks. He knew enough not to ask Rose right away; it would've been a shock for the girl.

What Dumbledore assumed would happen had already started. It pained Lupin to accept the fact, Rose was going to struggle more this year.

It was possible it was because of him.

"It's quite noisy here."

"Quite the informant you are, brother," he deadpanned. "Blimey, something must be going on."

"Got no clue," he gazed.

"Well, let's find out," his twin walked past him entering the Gryffindor common room. He found their team's Chasers in the corner huddled up. "Are you having another 'Non-Oliver' meeting again?" George peeped his head through, startling them.

"Would you quit doing that!" Bell exclaimed, having her hand over her heart. Quite the scaredy-cat.

"You love it," George said. He looked at Fred expecting him to have joined him, but he was looking elsewhere. He wondered how long his twin was going to be like that. "Anyways, what's going on?"

"You haven't heard?" Spinnet said, almost shocked. "What were you doing? Another prank?" He brushed it off with a sneaky chuckle.

"The third-years got to have a practical Defense class with a Boggart," Bring it in for Johnson to answer the question, point blank.

"You're kidding," George quickly sat next to her, prompting her to continue.

"At the very end of the lesson, the whole class got to see a werewolf. I'm sure majority of the class were scared," she chuckled.

"I would've been," Bell chimed in.

"We know," the other two Chasers interjected.

"Whose boggart was the werewolf?" Fred spoke out, they all looked at the tall red head who didn't seem himself.

"Glad to have you join us," George said shaking his head.

"You've been out of it for days," Bell commented.

"It's probably because of O. ," Spinnet thought out loud. Instantly, Fred's aura became gloomy. "Seems we've hit a spot."

"Yes. A spot on both of them," Johnson said, seeing the gloomy aura surrounding George too.

Such brothers they are.

"Oh right," Johnson shook her head, "You'll never guess whose Boggart it was. It's probably why she's so quiet."

"Rose," Fred muttered. He got up, not waiting for an answer, looking for Hermione.

Hermione didn't look up knowing who was there, she wasn't going to admit she eavesdropped, but whenever someone said werewolf, she got too curious. "She's most likely still at the Hospital Wing." She looked up to see the retracting body of Fred.

Dashing away to leave the common room, passing by his brother like he was a random student.

His mind was elsewhere.

By the time he arrived at the wing, he was gasping for air.

Rose was sitting on the floor by the bed she'd been sleeping in for the last few days, stroking Prissy's fur. She continued to watch the tall boy looking around,

Until his eyes met hers.

He smiled, a smile she'd never seen before.

It was . . . different.

"Why are you on the floor?" She shrugged as he sat down beside her, gently nudging her shoulder with his. "H-how are you?"

She lifted her hand tilting it right to left. _"So-so."_

He hummed, "Does it hurt? Your ear I mean." She shook her head, her eyes staying on the black wolf while his were on her. _"She looks different, her eyes are. . .lost."_

They stayed quiet, Rose had no intention of keeping the conversation going, she was okay with the silence. Though, she did wonder why Fred was suddenly here.

Then it clicked.

"You know of my boggart." She wrote, not needing him to confirm it.

"Yeah," he scratched the back of his head, "I heard from Johnson. How are you feeling?" He tried to read her face, but it was emotionless.

"I had a dream this morning, that's why it was my boggart." She wasn't lying but she wasn't truthful either. How could she to say that she was attacked by a werewolf during a full moon? _"I don't remember being bitten, but who would believe me?"_

"This wasn't just a one-off dream was it?" his voice was stern. She turned to face him.

She hasn't realized her deep thoughts were expressed on her face. A slight shift in her guard, brought it down.

He saw right through her.

His eyes were serious, boring into her own.

She hadn't realized she was still looking into his eyes until she meekly nodded, looking away.

"You know," he sighed, bringing his knees to his chest. "I've been waiting for you at the Great Wall since the first day," he huffed, placing his chin on his arms looking at her. "When I heard about happened in Hagrid's class I came here straight away, but you were refusing visitors. Why was that?"

Rose looked at him, blinking a few times before getting her blackboard. "I didn't want to know who wouldn't come and see me."

Fred was taken aback by her honesty, it's not easy admitting something like that.

She didn't want to get false hope.

"You know I would've come and visited you. Many others would have to." He nudged her side lightly, "Don't worry about those two brats, they'll grow up eventually."

Rose nodded knowing who he was talking about. Suddenly Prissy suddenly got back and walked away.

"I think that's our cue to leave too," Fred got to his feet, taking a quick stretch before giving Rose a hand.

When their hands touched, she wasn't aware that the redhead had a sheepy smile on his face.

It was only for a second, but he still felt her warmth on his palm.

Walking down the Hallway wasn't to say a struggle, but Rose did feel like she was in the spotlight, it wasn't hard to spot her, everyone knew who she was since the banquet.

"Ah, there you are," Rose looked up to see the Prefect that she met on the first night. "Oh, hello twin number one," she stopped in front of them.

"Farley," Fred said sternly.

"Been looking for yeh, little flower," she beamed.

Rose had to blink a few times at the new nickname.

"Hey now, it's not a bad name," Farley said looking between the two. Long black-haired pixie cut, olive skin, piercings all over her left ear, along with her green eyes. Rose also took note that she was close to Fred's height.

"It's also not a good name," Fred muttered.

"Like 'quiet girl' was any better number one," Farley said flatly.

"I have a name you know," he seemed to be getting antsy with the Prefect's presence.

"I know, it's twin number one. Where is twin number two anyway?"

"Back at the common room."

"Is that so?" She cocked her head, "How unusual."

Rose put her blackboard in Fred's view. "Does that mean you're older than George?"

Fred blinked before looking at her, "yeah, by four minutes," he gestured with his fingers. It was as if the two were in a bubble of their own until a certain someone physically took a needle and popped it. "What did you want?" He got to the point.

"Professor Snape wants to talk to the little flower over here," Farley took Rose's hand and began to walk, but Fred's held her back by holding the other.

"Wait, just a moment. You can't just take her like that."

"I can't? Why not? It's not like you're dating." Farley seeing his red cheeks.

"Shut up Farley," he said, using his other hand to cover his face. "Just one moment."

She shrugged, "Sure, be sure to catch up quickly." Farley slowly walked, heading to Professor Snape's office.

Rose wasn't able to absorb all the information. Her head couldn't quite wrap about it. She tilted her head looking at Fred who was still holding her hand.

Fred took a little bit of time to compose himself before talking. "Sorry," he muttered, letting go on her hand. "I feel like I won't be seeing you again at the Great Hall." He wasn't wrong. "I-I just wanted to ask you something before you make plans, but I didn't want to pressure you on the spot either, so I wrote it down. Hopefully you'll get back to me soon?" He wanted to be hopeful that she would say yes.

It would mean a lot to him if Rose said yes.

Would she though?

He pulled out a neatly folded parchment from his pocket. She took it and placed it in her robe pocket. She smiled, "Thank you, I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I read it," she wrote before waving him good-bye.

He stayed in the middle of the hallway, watching her small figure dashing towards Farley.

It seems he had to be more careful of Farley than the boys. . .

"Ah, little flower, you've finally caught up." Farley looked at the girl before turning and giving Fred a knowing look, making him storm away.

On their way to Snape's office, they walked in silence with Farley giving the causal greeting to other students. Rose decided she had time to read the note Fred gave her.

"Hey, no running in the hallway," Farley called out to two second-year boys, running past them.

"We're in Slytherin too," one of them called out, while the other laughed. Like they expected special treatment.

They were right, but it wasn't the special treatment you'd want.

Farley quickly took out her wand and casted the tripping jinx, making the boys tumble on the ground. "That's what you get for running," she yelled back, with that she tucked her wand away and took a turn.

Farley was a Prefect for a reason.

And there was a reason why she wasn't Head girl.

"They just don't learn," she muttered out loud. "So, what did Fred want to tell?" She cooed, but no response. "Little flower, what are you-" Farley had turned to see Rose with a shocked expression, looking at a piece of parchment.

The very parchment Fred had given her.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17

"Hey, are you okay?" Farley said concerned. Rose was snapped out of her thoughts looking at Farley, then back at the note. It was a repetitive motion that struck a nerve in the prefect. "What does the note say?" She attempted to use her height to the peep at the note to only have Rose shove it back in her pocket.

Rose began to quickly scribble on her board, "I need to make a quick detour and then I'll head to Professor Snape's office. I'll be fine."

Farley rubbed the back of her neck, looking at the direction to his office. "I have to take you, so I'll wait here until you get back." She turned to see Rose already on the other end of the hallway. Farley flinched, "Merlin, you're fast." Farley made a mini megaphone with her hands by the sides of her mouth. "Hurry back," she called out to Rose. She shook her head, _"What was on that damn note?"_

Rose was quick, the only thing she could hear was the bandage shuffling caused by her fast pace. She passed by a lot of students, not caring for the glances she received. She hadn't realized that she was passing by her own classmates.

Malfoy immediately saw her, he had plan to call out to her to find out how she was doing, "Oi-huh." He stopped in his tracks watching her rush passed him. His eyes grew wide in shock.

She had a bright smile on her face. A smile that even lit up her eyes.

He just stood there stunned, ignoring all his friends' calls.

It wasn't long until she found Fred. He was laughing next to George and Lee while talking to girls from his year. She didn't know how long she was there until someone bumped into her shoulder.

A fellow Slytherin.

Nothing new.

She was attempting to get his attention, but she didn't know how to from afar.

She slowly walked up to him before tugging on his sweater. "Oh! H-hey Rose," he turned to face her. "I-I thought you were with Farley." She pulled his note for him to connect the dots. He leaned down, "You didn't have to answer right away," he whispered.

He was nervous for her answer. He quickly looked at his brother who had a cheeky grin on his face. Given Fred's tall stature, he hid Rose from his twin's view, he didn't want her to see him get teased.

He turned to see her already have her answer written. "I'll like that very much."

He smiled widely. "I'm glad, we'll save the date?" She smiled back. It was the same smile she had whenever the twins spoke of Quidditch, he knew she would be excited for it. He slowly extended his hand out to only retract it. _"Restrain yourself."_

He gave a quick smile, "You should head back to Farley before she gets into a foul mood."

Rose quickly dashed back to Farley, who knows how she'd be.

During the whole time, Snape was waiting in his office with his door open. He would pause on his work whenever a student walked by, thinking it was Rose.

He sighed, _"How long must I wait?"_ He put his quill down, knowing he won't be able to do his work any longer until Rose got there. Memories of the first night of term took over his mind, reminding him why he had to speak to Rose.

 _He was the last to enter the Headmaster's office, with Professor McGonagall and Lupin already there waiting. He was late as he wanted to talk to Farley, asking if Rose was comfortable. He had made the girl agree to look out for Rose until she graduates, which Farley immediately agreed knowing what the usual trade agreement between the two was._

" _You wanted to see me, sir?" Snape closed the door behind him before walking to Dumbledore's desk._

" _Ah yes. Thank you all for joining me tonight. You can guess what I would like to discuss, or should I say who." A certain new Slytherin came to all their minds. "It has come to my attention the hat didn't sort Rose based on what was in her mind."_

" _How can that be?" Lupin spoke aloud. He was still coming to terms that the girl was never sorted in her first year. Though he was more shocked she attended her first year._

" _My guess is when she stopped talking, she shut herself off physically, emotionally and mentally. I believe her Occlumency is strong, possibly stronger than yours Severus." Dumbledore looked at him as did the others._

 _Snape cleared his throat. "Perhaps," he paused. "I've never forcefully tried to enter her mind," he confessed._

" _You tried to invade her mind, Severus?" McGonagall raised her voice._

" _I wanted to see how she was feeling when she was sorted, but nothing," he said flatly._

" _How long has this been happening? Lupin said softly._

" _A week before her first year. Not that you need to know," Snape seethed._

" _Now Severus," Dumbledore spoke out._

" _What was I to do? She wouldn't change back. I thought that she was a- Professor Dumbledore said it was best to keep her here." As much as he wanted to defend himself, he felt defeated by his own words._

" _Enough, it's already in the past," McGonagall said harshly. "Right now, we have to focus on what is going to happen this year."_

 _They all agreed in silence._

 _Dumbledore did wonder if the two would get along for her. "As I was saying. Her occlumency is exceptional. Especially for her age and untrained. But she has excelled in anything she has learned thus far."_

" _She is exceptional," McGonagall muttered._

" _Like mother like daughter," Dumbledore concluded._

 _The teachers looked at him. "We know why she is important. But during the last two years of her being like this in Hogwarts, building friendships, changing, it's caused her magic to grow. I believe she has already attempted le-"_

 _ **Knock Knock**_

Blinking away the memory, he noticed Rose standing by the door.

"You're late. Come in," he said sharply. Rose walked to his desk, while Farley quickly closed the door, leaving the two alone to discuss.

"It's only been a few days since the- incident. I take it you've been taking things easy?"

Rose nodded, _"He hasn't heard of the boggart yet."_

"Once your injury has healed, you will meet me here every Thursday night at eight. We should make it five Thursdays from now. Should be sufficient time to settle in."

Rose slowly nodded before writing. "What will we be doing during these night classes?"

"Depends. Focusing on testing your- magic. You seem to be quite strong for your age. I may need to teach you things from _other_ years."

Rose nodded, "Is there anything else?"

"How is your House treating you?"

That was an unexpected question.

Rose thought about it for some time. Thoughts of Farley came to mind, Draco then Parkinson. "Mixed reactions from everyone. It's only week one."

"Mm." He wasn't impressed by her answer, but he understood. "If you need anything ask Farley. Malfoy seems to be recovering himself."

Rose left, leaving Snape to his thoughts. More so, his memory.

" _She needs to learn control before it gets out of hand. With Sirius escaping Azkaban, she will get curious of her parents and you of course Remus. We don't know what can trigger them, but I am certain changes will happen this year." There was a dark expression on the Headmaster's face before a soft smile formed on his lips._

" _Once you think Rose has settled in Slytherin, I would like you, Severus, to teach her control."_

" _Yes, sir."_

The girl was unaware of what was to come.

One can only hope she could cope.

The following weeks were as normal for any person that switches House.

Conclusion, not normal.

Rose still wasn't seen in the Great Hall during meals. Not many paid attention as she was still attending classes like nothing had changed. Some assumed she ate after everyone left the hall, but in reality, she was eating in the kitchen. The elves didn't mind her, and she didn't mind them.

A mutual feeling.

Her feline friend would accompany her, occasionally a certain Hufflepuff Seeker and Gryffindor Beater would see her. Not that she minded, she was getting used to being alone.

Was it really a good thing though?

She was being active in her classes, but the one class she wanted to hide from was Potions. Since their talk, Professor Snape would focus on Rose any chance she was in the room. She could feel his eyes bore into her head. It was already confirmed that she was the teacher's pet, not that the Slytherin's minded.

Just meant free points to the House.

It also meant that most Slytherins didn't mind her being in their House. Some wanted to get to know her.

Some for different reasons.

Quidditch tryouts were taking place after the second week and since then Rose had been hiding either in her dorm, the kitchen or the library. The Slytherin Quidditch team, mainly the captain was trying to 'talk' to her.

More like grill the girl to revealing Wood's tactics that Gryffindor were using. They have yet to approach her but her new roommates told her on the conversation they eavesdropped on and so she's been on the hiding since.

She trusted what they said.

She also confirmed this when Draco asked if she was going to watch the tryouts for this year.

One of Rose's known hiding spots was a peculiar spot in the library. Whenever she had a break she would be there, either by herself or with Neville or Hermione. She had left a note of Neville that day while Hermione was helping him make the Shrinking solution. Neville immediately agreed, letting Rose study with him.

She was happy that he didn't think differently of her.

Neville was getting new sound confidence in class with the aid of his helpful friends, but Potions still made him quiver. Something that amused Snape, for which Rose was determined to wipe the smug grin off his face.

 **THUD**

The sound of books dropping on the table pulled her from her thoughts.

"That's a lot of books you got there Neville," she wrote, looking at them.

The poor boy huffed for air, "It's not mine," he took a deep breath in and out, holding his sides. "It's- Hermione's," he wheezed. He took the seat directly in front of Rose before slouching.

Hermione came shortly after indirectly causing Rose to erase what she had written on her board. The girl quickly scribbled fast before her best friend could opened her mouth.

"If you can't carry all your books, it means you're carrying too much."

"But Rose," Hermione was planning to whine.

Rose scribbled further, "It was the resolution you came up with for this year." Hermione groaned, more at herself than Rose. She knew she was right. Hermione was doing all twelve subjects.

"Okay Rose, less books to library next time." Rose gave a silent triumph. "What subjects did you want to go over today?"

"Herbology, History of Magic and Arithmancy. I'm up to date with the rest."

"Merlin you're fast Rose," Hermione said worriedly. Could she catch up?

She shrugged before opening her book, "Hiding makes you study more."

"Oh yeah, are you okay?" Neville asked softly.

"I really do feel like a scared rat on most days," she wrote thinking of the first night at the Slytherin table. The Gryffindors looked at each other hoping the other understood what she meant. Rose shook her head, "I'm fine, I just don't know how long this would go for."

"You should tell Professor Mc- Snape, this is harassment," Hermione said a little too loudly. You could hear Madam Pince coming closer to see who spoke.

"It's not, Hermione. They haven't said anything to me yet. I'm just avoiding them."

"You shouldn't defend," Hermione bounced back.

"They technically haven't done anything to me," she wrote.

"That's a big lie and you know it," Hermione retorted.

" _Why is she getting so upset?"_ Then it clicked. Once word of her boggart got around, Slytherins, mainly those that Parkinson could recruit would tease her about it. Howling during the night or jump at her.

Like always, she didn't react. Malfoy did that for her. He was ready to sock someone whenever they came out of nowhere. He wasn't going to admit that his fellow Slytherins startled him. Rose did find the howling during the night soothing though.

But she had no intentions of letting them know. It was helping her adjust to living under the Great Lake even if their howling needed some tuning.

"They're not jumping from the shadows anymore and the howling is barely heard during the night. Slytherins are more focused on the Quidditch thing." Rose concluded.

"I don't like how they are treating you," Hermione pouted.

" _I'm sensing mood swings again."_

"I'm fine, Hermione. You're only seeing the small percentage. My roommates are nice, Farley is too and those that I sit with in class. I'm fine."

"Then why are you still always pale looking?" The question shocked the two girls. "I-I mean I get pale when I think of Professor S-Snape," Neville averted his eyes before looking at his books.

"I'm a side sleeper. I get up every time I put pressure on my ear." It was half-truth but they wouldn't ask further.

No one knew she had vivid dreams every night. Some not as scary, but she was still figuring out what they meant. She couldn't remember the conversations in them.

In time she would.

Their study session went smoothly. Hermione was less stressed after going through some of the subject content with Rose. Neville seems slightly chirpy after going through Herbology. It seems he finally gathered an interest.

Fred had joined not long after the third years were getting into it. Fred sat next to Rose stealing a few glances more frequently then he'd like to admit. So much so he realized Hermione caught him. More than once.

It happened ever since the first time he joined them for studying. Though he was never there for long as he was always dragged away to actually study.

"I can help in Herbology if you want?" Said Fred, breaking the silence.

"Oh, that would be cool!" Neville said excitedly. Hermione silently giggled seeing Fred's expression before he gave Neville a quick smile.

"I'll ask you next year," Rose wrote before grabbing her quill to continue with her notes.

"Why next year?"

"So, you can focus on your O. ." He sighed.

"Yeah okay, but you can ask me if you don't understand anything," Fred added.

Hermione and Rose gave him a look.

"I know you're both bright witches, but I've already said it," Fred folded his arms and sank in his seat. "Just let it be."

The girls looked at each other and smiled.

Fred looked at his watch, "I'm going to go find Johnson. Once I copy the homework, I'll go and meet you _there_ ," he whispered to Rose.

"Copying, really?" Rose wrote.

Fred gave her an isn't-it-obvious look. "It's just a little bit, mainly to check my answers," he coughed.

" _I see who Ron looks up to."_

Rose nodded. "I'll see you there."

Fred smiled, "Good." He collected his things, "I'll see you two later." They gave a small wave before he left, walking further into the library.

Hermione gave Rose a look, who pretended to not see it. She wasn't in the mood to explain.

"I'm going to go too," Rose tapped on her board to get their attention.

"Where are you going?" Hermione looked to where Fred headed before Rose's stomach made the mating call of a walrus. "You eat, we'll see you later," she did her best to stifle her giggle.

Rose gave a playful glare which didn't help Hermione in the slightest.

"Same time tomorrow?" Hermione finally composed herself and nodded. Rose began writing again before facing the board towards Neville, "You can come if you like but don't feel like you have to."

Neville gave a smile before Rose left, heading towards the exit.

As she finally had the exit in sight, she saw Draco's teammates talking to some students who were shaking their heads. She stepped back to hide behind a bookcase to only bump into someone.

"Oh, hey Rose. You okay?"

"Sorry," she wrote. She peeped behind the case to see that the Slytherins were getting closer.

"You're fine," he said, following her gaze. "Ah I see they're looking for a certain Slytherin," he whispered, only for her to hear. Rose quickly started taking books from the shelf and stacking them quickly. He softly chuckled, "I'm taller, just stay behind me and keep your head down," Rose nodded and did as she was told.

"Hey Diggory, have you seen Rose?" Flint asked, scanning the area.

"You know the one that was in Gryffindor before," said Warrington, a new Chaser of the team.

"I know who Rose is," Cedric said watching Flint's gaze. The Slytherin Captain was trying to look behind him, but he wasn't going to let them see Rose. "The last I saw her was somewhere over there," he gestured to the back of the library, evidently blocking their view of potentially seeing her behind him. They dashed fast, he watched until there was a large distance between them before turning. "Let's go, before they come back," He got his bag just as Rose got her own. "Just walk in front of me, they won't see you."

"Thank you, Cedric," Rose wrote. They were in a hallway, heading to the kitchen.

"You're welcome. But honestly, you're doing me a favour too," he said lowly, making sure no one could hear.

"You're on the run too?" She cocked her head.

"Not to your extent."

"Is it because you're Captain now? It can't be that bad."

"The Quidditch side isn't, it's just the attention coming from it," he sighed.

"You were made Captain for a reason. You're a brilliant Seeker," Rose concluded.

He scratched the back of his head as they headed down the stairs, "thanks Rose, but it's not that. It's the attention from-" He saw a group of girls giggling as they passed them, "from girls that's a bit too much."

Rose stared at him before finally reaching the portrait. "You only got two options." She tickled the pear.

"Which are?" He watched as the pear squirmed and transformed into a doorknob. His eyes watched Rose as she turned the knob leading them inside to the kitchen.

"Ignore it or embrace it."

"That's-."

"No help but you're Mr. Popular. Don't you sometimes bask in the glory? You've told me before about the guys. You got skills, use this to your advantage."

He gave a small smile. "I suppose." He watched her take out her book and parchment knowing that she's about to study. "Hey, I'll see you later? Need to finish up my homework."

Rose nodded. "Thank you for before." He smiled before leaving.

It wasn't long before she heard shuffling by the entrance, she turned to someone she wasn't expecting. "Hello," she wrote.

Back in the library, Neville had to ask Harry and Ron to take Hermione back to the common room. The girl had no intentions of going anywhere, but for the sake of her health, she had to eat.

"Let's go, Hermione," Ron sighed annoyingly.

"We'll put your books back in your room, go to the Great Hall for dinner then you can go back to your studying," Harry attempted to convince her.

It seemed to have worked as she put her quill down. "Back to studying after food."

"Yes," Harry gave a small smile to Hermione who returned it with a pair of rosy cheeks.

"Finally, let's go. I'm hungry," Ron exasperated. As expected of a drama queen.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "You don't have to come with us." Ron kept quiet and took one of her books and headed out of the library. He saw his brothers in a heated discussion which was unusual.

"You better go," George said flatly.

"George, nothing happened. She mistaken me for you. She clearly knew after she saw you," Fred said in defense.

His twin sighed heavily, "Yeah I know, I just-"

"It's fine. You know I only have eyes-"

"For the only flower in our lives. I know," George finished his brother sentence. More so the line he always says when he talks of _her._

"You what?" Ron shrieked.

The twin hasn't realized their conversation was eavesdropped on. They noticed Hermione and Harry were there too. Had they all heard?

"Oh, hey there you are you lot, heading to the common room? I'm going there too!" George steered the trio with him, leaving Fred to head over to Rose.

Fred made eye-contact with George who nodded in understanding.

They knew their little brother had heard. Why else would he shriek like a girl?

"Ron, I'm going to need to have a word with you later." George said, holding onto his shoulder tightly, having a fake smile plastered on his face.

Ron only paled, he was going to comply.

Fred was left alone to his thoughts as he made his way to the kitchen. He was oblivious to the voice in the kitchen until he saw him sitting next to Rose.

"Oh Fred, glad you're here."

Fred just blinked. _"Why is he here? How did he know?"_

"Hey Oliver," he sat opposite of them, wondering how long they were like this. Rose gave a smile he instantly returned, though his happy 'what-if' thoughts were interrupted by Wood's voice.

"We were just going through some ideas for practice."

Fred looked at Rose before making eye-contact with Wood. "You know she's not on the team, right?" He could see Rose silently giggling which caused him to soften his gaze.

"I'm heavily aware of that. Why do you think I'm here?" He gestured to the kitchen.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe you wanted to sneak in some sweets without anyone knowing?" Fred mocked.

Wood grunted before going back to Rose. The two had been discussing strategies since he had arrived. Like the previous years he was asking for her advice. He had low key went looking for her for weeks trying to talk to her, but he didn't want anyone to know. He knew he wasn't meant to see her as a team-mate, but he couldn't help it, she was very helpful and still is.

" _He's too close."_

Fred stayed silent while the two continued to go through tactics using Rose's board as the pitch. He became sour whenever Wood got too close to his liking. He didn't realise he was such a possessive grouchy puss until today, especially with the mishap with his twin. He could now empathise with what happened back in the library.

He squeezed his eyes shut. _"Alright Fred, you're going to get up and slither your way in between them."_ He opened his eyes to see both of them looking at him. He blinked twice, propping his head up with his hand, "what?"

"She asked if you were hungry," he gestured to the board. He looked at Rose who was ever so slightly tilting her head at Wood's direction.

"Yeah, I'm famished," he did a full body stretch.

"I better go then. Thanks for the input Rose. We'll be testing this out in the next practice," Wood was already on his feet at that point.

"Let me know how it goes," she wrote.

"Will do, bye. See you tomorrow, Fred. Don't be late." The boy just waved waiting for him to leave.

He waited a couple of seconds after the door shut. "How long was he here?"

"Since Cedric left."

"Cedric was here?" He sounded baffled.

"He brought me here after misdirecting Flint and the others at the library," he just nodded. He slowly got up and sat beside her, he stretched his arms on the table and leaned on it, looking at her.

She smiled, "what is it?"

"Nothing," he said. _"Just let me look at you,"_ if only he could say it aloud.

" _Okay."_ Rose continued with her work, holding down blush threatening to come out.

Sometimes he'd imagine what her voice would sound like in his head. It was distinctly soft, something he could sleep to. He'd hope he would be able to hear it soon, just to put himself at ease.

As much as this was becoming a norm for them, Rose was sometimes feeling uneasy.

She was yet to learn what it meant.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 18

" _Okay little one, I got a mission for you," he gently placed her on the couch, crouching down to meet his daughter's eyes. "You know how Momma likes to celebrate Halloween?" The toddler nodded, holding onto Priscilla. "I'm planning a surprise in Uncle James and Aunt Lily's hou-"_

" _Do I get to play with him?"_

" _Not yet love, first I need you to make sure Momma doesn't leave the house. Can you do that for Papa?" He smiled sweetly at her. "Keep her in the kitchen until I get back."_

" _Roger that Papa," she saluted before giggling._

" _That's my girl," he kissed her forehead before getting up. "Rose, I'm just going outside to check on things," he yelled as he headed towards the front door._

" _Okay, love you," the voice sprouted from the kitchen._

" _Love you too," he walked out and closed the door._

 _The little girl slowly walked towards the kitchen, following the black cat._

" _I was wondering where you were," she smiled at her daughter. "Want to help me?" her daughter's head bobbed down like a bobblehead doll causing her to laugh._

 _She was making Pumpkin pasties, something her daughter loved. It was something she mastered just to see her smile._

" _Nine-een, twenny!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air, evidently getting flour on the black cat who failed at getting away._

" _Yes, that's right," she tucked a strand of her brunette hair behind her ear. Her hair was shoulder length with honey-brown eyes and light skin, though much darker compared to her family. She was slim built with an average height._

" _You can have as many as you want after dinner, okay?" She grabbed a wet cloth before wiping the flour off her daughter's dainty hands._

" _Okay, I will eat," she watched her mother clean her hands. "Momma made a lot."_

" _Yes, I did because I know you like them."_

" _I only like 'em –" big words were still difficult for her. "Momma makes, I eat. I like Momma's food." She nodded to herself._

 _She carried her the little girl and hugged her tight, "You're too precious." They both giggled. "This is why he can't find you," she thought._

 _She carefully put the tray in the oven. "Okay, while we wait, let's go get cleaned up."_

" _No, you can't leave," the little girl rushed to block the exit._

 _Her mother blinked, "why not?"_

" _Papa said you can't leave until he comes back," the girl remained firm on not moving._

" _I wonder why," she thought aloud. "Okay, why don't you go play with Priscilla and I wash up these dishes."_

" _Okay!" She ran out of the kitchen "Come on Pasilla!" The black cat looked at the woman, making eye contact with her before following the little girl._

 _It wasn't long before the girl heard the front doorknob turn._

 _She ran along with Priscilla to the front door seeing it being opened, thinking it was her father but came at a stop seeing a hooded figure close the door behind him._

 _He was smiling at her._

 _A-not-so-innocent smile, she couldn't see the eyes. She was only then aware that Priscilla was nowhere to be found._

" _Come, little girl," the man said, "let me see how much you've grown."_

Like a ritual, every night Rose would tuck herself into bed with Priscilla, wearing her father's scarf and read one of her mother's letters to sleep. Not always would she have the best of sleep, but she was able to get out of bed with ease after reading the letter again in the morning.

My dearest Daughter,

I sound so formal, but I'm not sure how to talk to you or call you for that matter. Your father and Uncles are arguing on your name. Well I got your middle name and obviously your last name is set by default.

You are currently four months old. You're super tiny in my belly. But I'm keeping you safe.

How old are you now, love?

Are you making friends? Everyone will love you. No matter your name and how you came to be, anyone would be lucky to have you.

If your father isn't reading this to you, just know he too, loves you very much.

You have our hearts

Love, your pregnant mother.

p.s. Priscilla is very excited to meet you.  
_

Rose used her father's scarf to wipe the tears. She knew her mother's letters by heart but reading them was as if she was talking to her.

She needed it. It was the closest thing aside from the mirror. Something she hasn't seen since first year. She carefully placed the letter back into the wooden carved box. It was small enough to hold a thick book but big enough to hold a stack of letters. It had spirals all over with her initials on top, you had to really look to find it. There were a few teeth marks, during her teething phase she couldn't help herself.

She softly smiled at herself.

 **THUD**

Rose heard a groan causing her to peep through the curtain of her bed. She saw Harriet, on the floor, grabbing air to cover herself. It seems the first year hadn't realised she was on the floor without her blanket. Rose made her way to Harriet's bed, it wasn't the first time for her.

"Oh Rose, let me do your hair," Harriet sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Come on," she yawned.

"I just put it in a bun this time," she wrote.

She continued to yawn, causing Rose to yawn herself.

Contagious things.

Harriet peeped open her right eye, "Oh!" She exclaimed, "I've already done it. Aye, looking good." She tried to wink, more like exercising the eyelids.

" _She didn't even read my board."_

"Off to bed I go," she muttered.

Rose just stood there, blinking. _"She's too out of it."_

"Good night," instead of climbing back to bed, she curled up on the floor with soft snores. Like it was a figment of her imagination.

It wasn't look before Rose went back to her bed to get her bag, she looked at Priscilla who was licking her paw. Having been caught in the act, Priscilla started to nuzzle Rose's cheek.

" _I guess you'll be joining me in the library today,"_ she smiled. Having her mother's cat was something that eased Rose more than anything. But she did have a stronger attachment to her father's owl, whom she hasn't seen in a while.

" _Most likely following Hedwig around, that lovesick bird."_ Her thoughts drifted to Harry, then immediately of the boggart. She shook her head before getting out of bed.

Wood had told her about practice, so she wasn't expecting Fred anytime soon.

" _Just let me look at you."_

" _Nope, I imagined it. I didn't even see his mouth move."_ She was pondering at the thought since yesterday. It seemed real enough, but it didn't make sense for her to hear it.

So deep in thought, she was oblivious to her name being called.

"Rose," she quickly turned to see who called her.

She smiled, "Morning Professor."

"What did I say about formality," he mocked groaned.

She smiled wider, "But it's fun."

"I worry about your definition of fun," he smiled. "Oh, hello there Priscilla," he lifted the black cat who continued to climb on him until she slouched on his right shoulder. You would think she was an accessory from the way she plopped herself. "Getting comfortable, I see," she meowed before closing her eyes.

"Do you want to take her today?" She wrote, looking at Priscilla before meeting his eyes.

"I don't mind, I don't think she intends to move," he lightly chuckled, while she nodded.

"Where are you heading off to?" She wrote, cocking her head to the side.

"I'm going to see Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall."

" _Most likely about me,"_ she nodded.

"Eaten?"

"Yes."

"Homework?"

"Done."

"Pranks?"

"Wouldn't dream of it." She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Alrighty then, go on," he softly smiled at her. He stood there, watching her body disappear in the direction of the library. The moment itself reminded him of his old school days.

How much time had gone.

How things were so different than what they thought it would be.

How more changes were yet to come. . .

"Baby Gryffindor."

That broke her thoughts. She looked at Draco, who made himself comfortable in the seat opposite of her.

"Have you finished Professor Vector's homework?" He said, looking for his work. He looked at her and gave his work.

Rose hesitated before nodding, taking his work to look at it.

"She's quite strict you know," he rubbed the side of his neck in anticipation.

Rose just nodded while she carefully looked through his work. During the past few weeks they had been exchanging notes, given their schedules were the same.

Though she wondered why he became so . . .

Quiet?

Tamed?

Considerate?

She couldn't find the right word to explain his change.

" _His handwriting is neat."_

"So, I heard you and Greengrass are getting along?"

"Yes, a little."

"Parkinson hasn't done anything, has she?"

"No," she shook her head. _"I haven't given her the chance."_ She had gotten accustomed to the seating arrangements in class but was yet to know why Parkinson sat next to her in Transfiguration and hasn't uttered a single word to her.

He signed in relief. "That's good."

It was probably then she realized how smart Draco was. He even corrected her at some point causing her to blush.

She had someone else other than Hermione, was that a good thing?

Back in the Gryffindor common room, the trio were arguing with one another.

"No Ron, absolutely not." Hermione was adamant.

"Oh, come on Hermione, just a little bit," Ron pleaded. Like usual, he was asking Hermione for her homework.

Some things never change.

"Rose would've let me," Ron muttered.

"Well, I'm not her!" She yelled. The line itself struck a nerve with her. She paid no attention to those that looked at her small outburst.

"Calm down Hermione, we know," Harry butted in.

She stayed silent for a moment. "You got time to finish it. I have to get to the library."

"What for? You've been studying here since dawn," said Ron.

"I'm studying with Rose today."

"Again?" Harry asked.

"Yes, it's something we always used to do when we shared a room," she said quietly.

"Can I come?" Harry surprised all of them, himself included.

"S-sure."

"Great, let me go get my books." Harry dashed towards the staircase.

Hermione gazed at the staircase where Harry was last seen before she felt eyes on her.

"What?"

"Nothing," Ron muttered, looking away. "Perhaps I should come too, since Rose is there," Ron spoke aloud.

Hermione became fidgety at that and didn't respond. She cleared her throat, "If you want to come, you better get your things. I won't be waiting for you," she said flatly.

The atmosphere was so thick that Ron questioned if he really wanted to go.

Rose handed over his work, "It's good I don't think you need to change anything."

"Okay good. I mean of course it's good.'

Who was he fooling?

"Think you can check mine?" As much as Professor Vector reminded her of Professor McGonagall, she was scarier. Draco gave his all-knowing smirk and had his palm outstretched. Rose gave him her homework then slumped in her seat, waiting.

"Oh Rose, sorry for being -late." Hermione concluded. The two Slytherins saw her standing with less books than usual, before a certain brunette boy came into view.

"Potter," Draco smirked.

"Malfoy," Harry seethed.

The girls looked at each other, back at the boys then at each other again.

"We're going to sit somewhere else," Hermione said grabbing a fistful of Harry's sweater, pulling him in her direction. Rose took notice of the gesture.

"But Hermione," Harry whines, though he followed willingly.

"Better do as your girlfriend says Potter," Draco teased, causing the Gryffindors to falter in their steps and blush.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Harry exclaimed loudly looking at Rose.

Rose looked at Hermione, seeing her tomato cheeks then Harry's before looking away. Hermione left to go find a place to hide to sit, leaving Harry staring at the back of Rose's head.

Draco chuckled, "Just going to stand there?" Harry ignored him before walking away.

He slowly walked back towards Rose, taking the loose strains of her hair that were in her face and tucked it behind her ear. Rose looked up at him, causing the boy to go red, "It was in your way," he muttered, before leaving to find Hermione.

"Does he have a crush on you?" Draco whispered.

"No way," Rose scribbled fast.

"Tch," he licked his tongue.

"I doubt he even sees me as a friend after being in Slytherin."

"Yet he pulled you away from that boggart."

He left that comment in the air for the both to think about.

Why the sudden change in Harry if not for Rose's House?

As always, after her last class she had to go for her regular check-up.

" _It's finally the fifth Thursday,"_ she said to herself.

Keeping to herself as she briskly walked to the Hospital wing ignoring the calls of her name.

"Baby Gryffindor. Would you stop," he panted.

She stopped and turned.

This was now a norm. Whenever they had class, he made them walk together.

She didn't like the looks she was getting from the girls.

More so, Parkinson. It looked like she was going to explode.

"Class is over for the day, Draco."

"Did you forget? I told you in Potions I got to see Madam Pomfrey," he lifted his arm for emphasis.

"Must've slipped my mind."

"So, you've said- every week," He deadpanned.

She gave a sheepy smile before they walked together.

Madam Pomfrey placed a tuning fork near Rose's left ear.

"Can you hear it?"

"Only from my right ear," she wrote. She was sitting on the bed opposite of where Draco was sitting, who was also being attended to. They would have had the curtain divide their check-ups, but there was no need for privacy given how loud the attendings were.

"Hmm. Well it's slowly growing back," Madam Pomfrey sighed, placing the fork in her pocket. "Given the pace, I'll push the check-ups to every second day," she gave a short smile which the girl returned.

Rose saw Draco getting his bag, making her do the same. As they both headed towards the door, she was stopped.

"I was told you were running out," she handed her a small bottle, which Rose quickly placed in her pocket, away from Draco's eyes.

"Thank you Madam Pomfrey." She gave a small smile before the two left the hospital wing.

"What did she give you?" No response. "Oh, come one, Baby Gryffindor."

"It's just something for my ear," she wrote. _"Something to eat my anxiety away."_

He nodded, "Does it still hurt?" She shook her head. "Good."

They walked in silence, both avoiding the looks they were receiving.

Rumours were surrounding the two. Some said Malfoy recruited her into his gang, some say she asked to be in it herself.

The only true rumour: Parkinson was yesterday's news to Malfoy.

Of course, the diva wasn't having it.

The only question standing was, what is the snake going to do about it?

"Parseltongue," Draco said to the stone wall. It soon revealed the door to the Slytherin common room.

Just the word itself brought memories of the night at the Chamber, she shivered at the thought of _him._

Draco quickly turned around to Rose, "You need to-"

"She's finally graced us with her presence." Rose's eyes grew wide. She looked behind Draco then back at him.

The hurt was evident in her eyes, but he could only apologise through his, which she chose not to see. She had no choice but to face the wizards.

"We've been wanting to have a small chat with you for a while now," Flint said as he looked at his team, giving a mischievous smile.

Rose simply nodded. Like she had a choice.

She followed the boys, Draco never leaving her side. She was short compared to all the boys, no one would notice that she was there, but he did notice a certain short-haired girl giving a devilish smile.

His subtlety to making Parkinson leave Rose alone clearly hasn't worked. He had to deal with it later.

"You were a Chaser in your _temporary_ House," Flint began. "We know Wood would talk to you about the game." Rose stared at him blankly. "Don't play stupid," he said irritated, "Jordan always runs his mouth, so I know it's true."

" _Take it for the commentator to spill the beans."_

Rose slowly started to scribble on her board.

"All we did was talk about the weaknesses and strengths of the opponents team members, so we could counter them."

"That's it?" Flint wasn't completely convinced.

She nodded. "I was able to make a few shots against your Keeper, didn't I?" That struck a nerve with the Captain.

"Given you're in Slytherin now, you should be helping us," Warrington interjected, the others nodded.

She looked at him before nodding herself. "How exactly can I help?"

"By telling us the weaknesses and strengths of the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

Rose's stoic expression of triumph faded. She hadn't thought they would ask that.

She slowly wiped the board to write again. _"Think Rose, think."_

"Quit stalling," Flint gritted his teeth.

Rose began writing with Draco peering over her shoulder. "What does that mean?" He muttered.

"If you want to beat them you need to change your game plan and surprise them."

"Like what?" Warrington spoke aloud. He really needed to be quiet.

"I was known as a wild card. No one knew of my capability. Find yours," she hoped being vague would get her out of this bundle. There was no way she was going to tell them what their weaknesses were, or the fact that she was still talking to Wood about game tactics.

Her House or not, she wasn't going to betray anyone to fit in.

But the advice she gave wasn't wrong either, Slytherin needed to practice with more than one game plan.

"We already got our wild card," the captain said looking at her. Slowly she looked and noticed the others looking at her, she didn't recognise all their faces, but she recognised the look in their eyes.

"What's going on here?" The voice was stern. "Seriously Flint, can you leave the girl alone?" Farley broke up the group in annoyance.

"We were just done anyway," Flint smirked before walking, with the rest of the team following.

"Good, detention the next time I see you harass another student."

He put his hands up in surrender, "We were just talking, Farley. Like you would give me detention."

"Stop testing me Flint," she said through her clenched teeth.

"But it's fun." He gave one last look at Rose before turning around, leaving the common room. Draco however was still standing there, putting his weight of one foot, then the other.

"I didn't know, honestly." Rose just nodded, still looking at her board, before wiping it.

"You better start on that essay Professor Vector gave us," she wrote. Draco sighed heavily, running his hand in his hair. He slowly nodded before he walked away mumbling profanities all the way to his room.

Farley rubbed the back of her neck, "I seriously hate Flint." Was it really hate? "Anyways what did he say to you?"

"Nothing important." Less people know, the better. "Shouldn't you be studying for your Newts?"

"Who are you? My mother?" She exasperated.

Rose blinked, "Who are you? My babysitter?"

Farley groaned. She indeed was hawking Rose when she wasn't studying, she did have an agreement after all.

"I was in my room _studying_ when Harriet burst through the doors."

That didn't surprise Rose at all. Harriet was very much the out-going girl in their room, very protective of those she cares about.

It was something Rose and her have in common.

"Speak of the witch," Farley murmured.

"Rose, are you okay? Did Farley make it in time?"

" _What does she think Farley is? A hit wizard?"_ Rose began writing fast, then showing the two her board. "I'm fine, I just need to do my homework and both of you need to study."

They both groaned.

" _As much as I used to empathise with the boys, I can now empathise with Hermione."_

"Yeah okay, I'll meet you back here when it's time," Farley muttered before leaving.

Keeping to herself, Rose was able to get some of her work done. She kept zoning out more than usual. Even shaking her head didn't help. She didn't see him in the kitchen, but she ate anyway with Priscilla by her side. They never made a commitment about having dinner together, but she had made an assumption of it.

She felt embarrassed at the thought. Being popular, of course he had other friends he'd hang out with.

Rose hadn't realised how rigid she was walking until Farley pointed it out.

"You don't need to be nervous, little flower. You'll be fine." Farley whispered. The halls were quiet during this time, not to mention dark. But Rose internally enjoyed it.

"I'm not sure what to expect," she wrote.

"It's Snape. Nobody knows what the man is thinking." If only she knew how accurate that statement was. Rose nodded and the two were back to silence, which Farley didn't like.

"Oh, I should tell you," she said quickly. "Notice will be coming out in a couple of days." Rose looked at her to continue causing the Prefect to grin. "Your first trip to Hogsmeade is on Halloween."

Rose's eyes twinkled.

" _I'm glad, we'll save the date?"_ She remembered what he said. A smile crept up on her face as she remembered his note.

 _Hey Rose,_

 _This would be the first letter I've written that's just from me._

 _I tried to sugar coat it in my other attempts at writing this. It's taken all night._

 _Would you let me escort you to Hogsmeade on your first trip?_

 _Yours truly,_

 _Your favourite twin, Fred._

 _p.s. I want it to be just the two of us, if that's okay._

Rose approached the door, ready for her first lesson with Professor Snape, _"I wonder what he'll teach me."_

 _ **Knock, knock**_

"Come in," the door closed as quickly as it opened. Snape lifted his head to see Rose by the door. "Change of plans tonight, you're going to aid me in brewing a certain potion since Polyjuice is out of the option," he gazed at her bandaged ear before meeting her eyes.

She meekly nodded before approaching the table. _"Wolfsbane, he made it for momma at some point."_


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 19

Another Thursday, another night class. It was more of an advance Potions class until tonight. It was apparent that Snape was testing her limits.

At the end of every night class, Professor Snape would escort her back to the common room. Not like she could enter on her own anyway.

"So." He left the word hang in the air for a moment too long before clearing his throat. "Will you be - -visiting _Professor_ Lupin this weekend?" He watched her with the corner of his eye.

"Yes," she wrote, not sparing a glance his way. _"Priscilla would be keeping Moony company but who is going to check up on him?"_

The next few days went by fast; all Rose could think about was the upcoming Hogsmeade trip. It was something that preoccupied her mind the most, more so reminded by her roommates who so graciously requested an order of sweets from Honeydukes. . .amongst other things.

After her usual study session with Hermione, she was on her way to Professor Lupin's office to see how he was doing to only be stopped by a certain red-haired boy.

"Where are you off to?"

"Somewhere," she wrote, hesitantly.

"Going to meet my brother?" He questioned.

She cocked her head, "I'm seeing him tomorrow."

"He said he was going to meet you at your usual spot," George whispered as he eyed the students walking past them. It was clear they weren't used to a Slytherin hanging out with a Gryffindor, even if it was one who was in their house previously.

Rose took note of their looks not realising someone was approaching.

"I was looking for you," he said softly enough to make her jump.

She turned to see Fred standing next to George as if he was there the whole time.

George looked at the two, pretending to not eavesdrop. Like a good friend would do.

"Ready for tomorrow?" Fred asked, watching her expression.

She nodded with a small smile, "Where would I be meeting you?" It was custom for the third years to be escorted with a brief explanation of Hogsmeade before they could explore in their free time.

"Honeydukes?" He himself wasn't sure, his nerves were racked with excitement that even the butterflies in his stomach wanted to break out.

"Sounds good," she wrote. "I'll see you then?"

He nodded, "See you then," he gave a smile before seeing his brother wiggling his brows. "C'mon," he dragged his twin and they parted ways.

It wasn't long before Rose crept into the Professor's classroom, knowing full well he was in the office. She knew Priscilla was already there keeping the wolf to-be company.

 **Knock, knock**

Her patterned knock earned her a small permission to enter the room.

As she closed the door, Lupin was grateful for her presence. His eyes were soon becoming heavy thinking of how his life was, back in his teens going through this.

" _It's time isn't it?'_

 _Remus opened his eyes with the energy he could muster, looking at his best mate, "No, Sirius. It's happening next week."_

" _Don't use your energy on such sass Moony," he said as he moved the blanket to fully cover Remus._

" _Sirius?"_

" _Yeah, bud?" No response, he turned to see a worried Remus looking at the ground._

 _He softly smiled, "It'll be over before you realize it's begun." He patted him on the shoulder before giving it a tight squeeze. A reminder to know he wasn't alone._

And even at this age, despite everything loss, he was never truly alone.

Rose, with some help, snuck back into the common room. Luckily on a Sunday morning, there was a low chance of someone being by the fireplace. Sneaking into the dorm room was something she was accustomed to.

It wasn't long until the others woke up.

"Today is the big, day-ay-ay," Alice sang as Harriet joined her jumping on Rose's bed, causing Priscilla to jump off the bed. She pouted, "Aww, she's already awake. When can we actually wake her up?"

"That my dear Watson, time can only aid us in such a mission," her cousin gave her best impersonation of the private detective, blowing air as if she was holding a pipe.

"Morning to you too, and who is Watson?" Rose wrote looking at the two.

"Just a book reference," Harriet quickly responded. "Guess I know what your Christmas present will be," she muttered to herself.

"What's that?" Alice picked up a parchment for Rose to only snatch it away. "S-sorry."

"It's a letter Alice, you shouldn't touch other people's things without permission."

"Sorry Harriet, sorry Rose," Alice said meekly.

"It's okay, it's just important to me." They nodded. Rose folded the letter along its creases, placing it back in the envelope before it went in the box.

Harriet was the early one out of the three first years, so she would see Rose reading her letters countlessly. She was aware of who the letters were from. Afterall, she was someone Rose could trust.

Alice was curious of everything and anything, even when it's not her business. She was a good informant. Though she was an informant to everybody.

Astoria however kept her distant, but Priscilla would always lure her out of the shadows. They were gaining a bond.

"Are you ready for today?" Alice said as she sat comfortably on her bed. Even when Rose wasn't in the room, the girls would always gossip on her bed. It was the official designated spot.

Rose nodded as their dorm door opened.

"Hey Astoria, come over here," Harriet gestured with her hand. "You're up early too."

Closing the door behind her, she walked to Rose's bed, placing Priscilla in her arms along the way.

"What happened?" She said timidly. The other two followed her gaze and they all looked at Rose, who just blinked in return. Rose looked at herself and scrunched up her nose as the girls laughed.

"Seriously, this is why I braid your hair Rose," Harriet laughed, holding her sides. Rose attempted to braid her hair, to only get her fingers tangled in the process.

" _I wanted to do my hair myself this time,_ " she internally pouted.

She stuck her tongue out and the girls continued to laugh.

It wasn't long before her hair was set as a side braid, hiding her left ear. There was a smaller bandage compared to before.

And again, she didn't approach the Great Hall.

At the same time, she didn't go to the kitchen either. Wouldn't recommend skipping another meal.

Too excited for the Hogsmeade's trip? Or was there something else?

But she did make a detour to visit her favourite teacher. . .again.

" _Water, check. Notebook and pen, check. Money for gifts, check. Oh, important, signed permission form, check."_ It wasn't long before she was waiting with the other third years, who were just as excited as she was.

"Now remember, these Hogsmeade visits are a privilege. Should your behaviour reflect poorly on the school in any way, that privilege will be revoked," McGonagall addressed all the students before Filch gathered the signed slips.

Harry slowly approached the Professor one last time. "Professor I thought if you signed it, then I could go," he said, holding the un-signed permission slip in his hand.

"I can't, only a parent or guardian can sign. Since I am neither it would be inappropriate," McGonagall said turning her head towards the other students.

"But you signed Rose's permission slip," Harry said agitatedly, gaining an audience.

Everyone stood there shocked, including Professor McGonagall herself. After a second of composing she responded. "Like I said, only a parent or _guardian_ can sign. I'm sorry Potter, that's my final word."

" _How did he know?"_ Rose looked at Hermione who shook her head. Her eyes went to her guardian's, it was stoic, she didn't know if she was in trouble or not.

She was yet to find out how many had heard of this revelation.

"Forget about it you guys, I'll see you later," Harry, half-heartedly waved, ignoring Rose's gazes at all cost.

Murmurs were starting to surround her once again.

"So, what do you plan to do? Take her to the tea shop?" George grinned.

Fred shook his head, "Anywhere but there. I can't scare her off now."

"Then?"

"Like I'd tell you," he scoffed.

George nudged his brother with his elbow, "Perhaps the Shrieking Shack for a flower to cling to your arm?" He wiggles his brows and the warm cheeks growing on his twin.

"Oh, shut up," he pushed his brother away who was laughing like a hyena. "Honestly, you're insufferable."

"Yet you still talk to me about her," He continued to laugh, clenching his abdomen. George knew he won the battle, but what happened next was something he didn't expect.

 **SPLAT**

He froze.

During his laughing fest, Fred made a snowball. More like a few and started throwing them at George.

He got him smack in the face.

Fred was close to bewitching them to keep hitting his brother like they both did in their third year with Professor Quirrell. He, himself was taken aback by a snowball hitting him in the chest.

The game was on.

As the third years finished their tour of Hogsmeade, majority headed to Honeydukes Sweetshop. Rose trailed behind everyone keeping to herself. She was aware enough had heard Harry's outburst; the whispers weren't exactly subtle.

"So, is it true that Professor McGonagall is your mother?" He said, unaware he startled her.

She immediately lost her footing and grabbed onto his arm for support. His bandaged arm to be specific.

"Baby Gryffindor," he steadied her, placing his hands on her upper arms, taking notice of her expression. "Were you always this clumsy?"

She scrunched up her nose causing him to show his cocky smile. She grabbed her notebook and pen and began writing.

"First, don't sneak up on people and second, she's my guardian."

Now it was his turn to scrunch up his nose, "what is that?" he gestured to the object in her hand.

"Portable quill," Rose shrugged. She didn't really know how to explain it either. It was a gift given by the Grangers, a potential upgrade from the backboard if she wanted it.

Assuming she could get comfortable with it.

He blinked looking at her and shaking his head, _"what the heck is a portable quill?"_

Rose dangled the pen is his face causing him to straighten himself, finally letting go of her arms. She could see the sweetshop in view and took a step back from him, causing his face to be confused.

"You better go with Zabini and the others. I'll be around." She didn't give him time to respond as she walked past him.

Unbeknownst to her, he wanted to ask if they could hang out together.

Clearly the conversation starter wasn't the best.

Who knows if the blondie will try again.

"Honestly you two, if Filch catches you two causing a ruckus your privileges could be revoked," she huffed, folding her arms in front of the twins.

"Hermione, if you don't be quiet, they will notice," Ron muttered, looking around.

"Yeah, lighten up Hermione," Fred said, putting his twin in a headlock. "He'll submit soon."

"Or pass out," the girl muttered under her breath.

"H-hey R-rose," George spurred out, causing Fred to let him go immediately.

"Rose," Fred acknowledged, attempting to straighten himself, despite being fully aware she witnessed, everything.

"Arguing already?' She wrote with a small smile on her face.

"Just the usual," he shrugged his shoulders, nonchalantly.

"Disagreeing on your next prank already?"

That was a first for him. Rose never spoke of the pranks George and himself would do. It would always end up in topic, but she was never the one to ask first about it.

One of the reasons why she wasn't involved in the master plans.

Though, there was a chance the twins could be picking at her brain.

Soon enough.

"Something like that," he said, wiping off the snow from his clothes. "Where would you like to go to first?"

"Honeydukes, since we're already here," she wrote before placing the notebook and pen back into her bag.

It was then he noticed she was wearing the same scarf he saw her wear in Diagon Alley two months ago. How time had flown past.

Walking through the small store of Honeydukes Sweetshop which seemed more smaller with all the third years salivating for sweets, Fred kept a close eye on Rose, being mere inches from her. If he wasn't, he would've lost her in the crowd.

Not lose sight of her, just distance.

Possessive,

Protective,

It falls under the same class.

Class of a gentlemen? A Weasley twin?

They have their moments.

By being in a close vicinity, he was able to take notice of her surroundings from what she was wearing to the odd looks she was receiving. He knew he would have to get some information out from his younger brother before they left the store.

The cards were in his favour as Rose had a list of sweets to buy from her wonderful demanding roommates.

Not that she minded.

She liked being resourceful. Though, she questioned if this was an example of it.

Nonetheless they took a while around the store before they left Hermione and Ron and went to take a proper tour around the town. From viewing magical equipment at Dervish and Banges to Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. Though, they didn't last long as Rose didn't dare take out hers.

For obvious reasons.

From visiting the Post Office, Rose knew even if things change that no matter what, Howler would be the worst deliverer in history unless he was escorted by Hedwig. The poor owl. The town hasn't changed much since the last time she was there. Things didn't look as big as she last remembered.

The only place she was looking forward to, was the place Fred was keeping for last. He had a plan but with all the odd looks Rose was receiving and from what he had heard, he was doing his best to keep things uplifting. He was doing a decent job at it too.

Their time together was more enjoyable than Diagon Alley.

Can't say much about Fred's thought process.

They eventually slowed down their walking, looking by the shops they had once went in moments before. Fred had lost his train of thought thinking about where to take Rose next. Avoiding Slytherin's were more of a challenge than he thought.

"So, where to?" Rose tilted her head looking at him. "Oh, right I'm doing that. I knew that," he said almost defeatedly.

She softly smiled before looking around at the people going by.

It was a moment like this Fred took the time to stare at her features. The casual glances he would steal in the library and the kitchen were nothing to what it was now. Perhaps it was the nature scenery that made Rose glow, like this was her place. She seemed more at ease, then again you give her a book and she was close to satisfied.

Wonder which witch gave the other that hobby.

Witches influencing each other.

Nothing new.

Fred noticed how her braid covered her left ear, hiding the small white bandage. He wouldn't be surprised if she did her hair herself, she was talented, unique and special. He knew she was special to him. Words could not describe the feelings he wanted to express. It was foreign, most of them he couldn't decipher himself. All that mattered was that it would happen when it was about her.

He noticed that she would chew the inside of her cheeks in anticipation, sometimes he would deliberately give a delayed response just to see if she would do it. Occasionally, she'd nibble on her lip, the chances kept increasing every time they hung out. It was moments like this, where he was grateful for being outside because he didn't have to hide his flushed face.

The weather can take the hit this time.

It took him long enough to realise they were standing there for quite some time. Thank god the snowstorm hit them yesterday and not today or they would've been covered in snow.

Just as he was about to grab Rose's attention, he followed her gaze. It was then he realized which shop they stopped in front of.

Madam Puddifoot's tea shop, and there right in front of them were two Ravenclaws snogging each other faces off.

It was clear it was Rose's first time to see such an event, her face went from bewilderment to shock to embarrassment.

It would've been amusing for the Weasley twin to see if he, himself didn't have the exact expression as her.

Rose turned to Fred to see him staring at her causing her cheeks to be in the shade tomato. Not a common shade one would see Rose in. They immediately looked away.

From comfortable silence to awkward.

Like every first date.

Keeping traditions alive.

Rose looked elsewhere from the couple and Fred, but to her dismay all that came to sight were the posters. Posters of _his_ escape, something that left her with an unsettling feeling.

After some time, Fred cleared his throat, getting Rose's attention. "My mind is sort -blank," he confession, rubbing the back of his neck.

Rose nodded before she opened her notebook. "I'm the same."

"First time seeing a snogging session?" The awkward laugh hung in the air. Rose slowly nodded before shaking her head. He wasn't expecting such an answer.

"So," he faked coughed, "Since there's only a few more places to see, where do you want to go next?"

She thought for a few seconds before writing. "You said you were nearly out of Stink Pellets."

"Zonko's Joke shop it is," he grinned.

As he opened the store door, his smile flattened. There is the store was his brother with the rest of the Quidditch team.

Minus Harry.

Obviously.

"You might not be interested in these things but take a look around while I buy some stuff," he said, keeping the door open for her to enter.

"Sure, I'll go see your brother," she wrote.

He was hesitant before swiftly grabbing her hand. "Might be better if you stayed with me actually," he said softly, leading her into the shop in hopes they weren't seen.

"If it ain't my other half." Of course, they were noticed, right as they were about to leave. Like it was planned.

"George," he stood in front of his brother.

"Fred," he retorted.

Rose lifted her notebook to his face, "Hello to you too, George."

He smiled, "Hey Rose. Still feeling 'holy'?" He wiggled his brows at her.

She scrunched up her nose as she wrote, "It was a lame joke, can't you forget it?"

"Never," he grinned mischievously.

She silently sighed in defeat. She made a joke about being 'holy' since she had a hole in her ear. It was as lame as it could've been if it left her mouth. It's been weeks and George hasn't left her alone about it.

She rolled her eyes seeing the twin's knowing grins.

"Hey Rose," Johnson said as the other Quidditch members grouped around her.

"Hey," she wrote. They all looked at each other, making Fred stand close behind her. "I haven't said anything, and I don't plan to say anything," she scribbled down fast.

Johnson waved her hand at her, "No, no we know that. We just wanted to say, it's okay if you ever choose to join the Slytherin Quidditch team."

"They would be lucky to have you," Spinnet interjected.

Rose looked at all of them, Fred gave a weary look, he didn't know what to expect. She turned over the next page and began writing, "I don't plan to join the team," she gave a blank look as everyone else blinked a few times looking at what she wrote.

"Flin-"

"We heard you were on the team but wanted it to be a secret," Bell blabbed out, interrupting Wood in the process.

"As far as I'm aware, I'm not on the team. Even if I was on the team, I can't play because of my ear," she gestured to the left side of her face.

"It's still not healed?" Johnson asked dumbfoundedly.

"Madam Pomfrey said it should be back to normal in a few more weeks."

"Then why would Flint say that?" Bell asked.

"To make us think we were playing against Slytherin," Wood spoke in a hush tone, making sure no one else heard.

"There is a reason why Malfoy is still wearing his bandage despite it being healed. I told Wood this before, it's a strong guess but I don't think they'll be playing the first game."

"To throw us off," Fred said above Rose, who nodded.

"It was also predicted to be bad weather so using Malfoy's wound is their best bet to get out of a game without forfeiting," she informed the team.

"How can they predict it'll be bad weather?" George said his thought out loud.

"We live in a world of magic and you're asking how we predict weather?" Rose raised her brow. George just shrugged.

"That's cheating," Spinnet said frustratedly, ignoring the twin.

" _I like to call it being strategic and cunning,"_ Rose shrugged. "I told the same thing to Diggory so if Hufflepuff and yourself end up playing first, it's fair game."

The Chasers giggled.

"What?" Wood knotted his brows at the quick change in behaviour.

"He's the tall, good-looking one, right?" Spinnet asked.

"Strong and silent?" Bell added awaiting the little Slytherin to answer.

It wasn't long before she nodded, causing the other girls to giggle, making Rose give a shy smile. This didn't quite settle well with the twins.

"He's only silent because he's too-"

"Thick to put two words together," George finished irritated, causing Johnson to roll her eyes.

"He's nice and you'll see that if you actually talk to him," Rose defended.

Johnson squealed along with Bell, "You've spoken to him?" They asked in unison.

Who were the twins again?

Rose nodded, "I've met him a few times when I go for food," she wrote. Being as vague as possible.

"The Great Hall?" Spinnet cocked her head to the side.

Rose flipped to the next page and began to write. Before she could turn the notebook to show everyone, she felt an arm go around her, pulling her back.

"I think that's enough," Fred said disinterestedly. "We're going," he turned pulling Rose along, who managed to wave at the stunned team as they exited the shop.

Fred let go of Rose, taking a step back to give her some space, "Sorry, I-I thought you needed a breather," he coughed, looking away.

It wasn't until he moved further away did Rose feel cold. She didn't notice until he was more than an arm length away from her.

Her thoughts were broken once she felt the warmth again. She looked up and immediately met his eyes causing his cheeks to warm up.

"I thought we'd go and get your first try at butterbeer," he gave a warm which she returned.

As always, The Three Broomsticks was packed with students along with the usual town crowd. Fred and Rose were able to grab a table in the corner which was vacant seconds before they reached it. As they settled, Fred placed their orders. Rose spotted Hermione and Ron and gave a small wave. It was then she noticed not majority, but all the students were looking at her.

" _Can't a Slytherin get along with a Gryffindor,"_ she joked to herself. She knew that wasn't the reasons for the stares.

What if she was wrong?

She hoped her first taste in butterbeer wouldn't be bitter by the stares she was receiving.

Meanwhile, after roaming around the castle Harry was invited into Lupin's office for some tea. Teabags not tea leaves, because tea leaves themselves can lead to unnecessary worry.

Upon speaking of the water demon for the next DADA class, the topic switched to boggarts with Lupin's answer shocking Harry by his reasonings for not letting him fight the boggart.

"I didn't think it was a good idea for Lord Voldemort to suddenly appear in the classroom, it would've caused a panic." Lupin sipped on his tea, "But, I was wrong."

"I did think of Voldemort first, but then- I remembered the Dementor on the train" he spoke honestly.

"That itself suggests what you fear the most is fear. Very wise, Harry," giving the boy a soft smile.

Before Harry could speak, there was a soft knock at the door.

"Come in."

The door opened to reveal Professor Snape holding a goblet, he stopped at the doorway seeing Harry.

"Thank you, Severus," Lupin smiled. "Could you leave it on the desk for me?"

Snape walked and placed the goblet on the desk beside Lupin. "I have more if you need it."

"I will need some for tomorrow most likely, thanks Severus."

"Not at all," he looked between the two sitting down. "You should drink that directly," gesturing to the goblet.

"Yes, yes I will," Lupin smiled at Snape who didn't not return it. Lupin turned to Harry and began a new topic. "Harry, do you know of the black wolf, Prissy?"

"Yes, I do Professor," Harry said, straightening himself on the chair.

"Did you know she was born in the Forbidden forest?" That slowed down Snape's steps towards the door.

"Rose told me," he said timidly. He wouldn't admit it, but he didn't like the absent feeling she left when she moved to Slytherin.

"I see." Lupin took note of Snape openly eavesdropping on the conversation. "Did you know she was born on the full moon?" Harry shook his head. "Under quite a rare circumstance she was born on a full moon with six other wolves." His eyes flickered to Snape's.

"Rare circumstance?"

"Yes, it's the second and last to have happened. Their parents were werewolves," Lupin's eyes never leaving his.

An unspoken agreement was made. One that was once made years ago.

The taste of butterbeer was warm and soothing, but the feeling of enjoyment was lost with all the looks. Looks that didn't go unnoticed by Fred.

"Are you full?"

She slowly nodded her head, "Are you?"

"I've lost my mood from the stares." He got up from his seat, giving her his hand. "I know you have too Rose, let's go." Feeling the stares around her intensify, she grabbed his hand, exiting the pub.

She could still taste the butterscotch lingering in her mouth.

Hearing Fred sigh again, she yanked her hand from his and began writing. "I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable in there."

Fred had to do a doubletake before laughing, "You did nothing wrong, Rose. They were staring at you, it annoyed me. You're not some display thing," he did a funny gesture, gaining a smile out of her. "Let's go. We left the best for last."

Her smile grew wider, _"The Shrieking Shack."_

The abandoned house was till this day rumoured to be haunted due to screams being heard from it years ago.

Rose was aware of the truth.

It was only natural that she knew.

Though, it wasn't her secret to tell.

"Does it meet your expectation?" Fred nudged her, waiting for her response.

She lifted her left hand from her pocket, tilting it left to right.

"And here I thought it'd make you feel better," he semi-pouted.

"I do feel better," she wrote. "When can we go in?"

"G-go in?" He was caught off guard. She nodded.

Without much convincing, they ascended to the 'to-be-haunted' house.

Rose wasn't going to the house to see what her uncle went through. She knew very well what he went through and what he was still going through. She heard different stories.

What made her eager to see the inside of the house was not the claw marks on the wall but the cravings that were done behind a leg of a certain instrument.

 _ **Knock, knock**_

"There's no one in Rose," Fred rolled his eyes.

"Imagine if someone said, 'come in'?" Rose wiggled her eyebrows seeing him shudder. She placed her notebook back and opened the door quickly before shutting the door behind them.

They were lucky to not be seen heading to the house.

Rose was quick to make her way up the stairs, her fingers lacing over the claw marks that were deep in the walls, past the wallpapers.

Her smile was bittersweet, the pain that came from all of this.

"Do you like haunted things Rose?" Fred said, keeping a step distance behind her.

She shook her head. They remained quiet until they came across the room with the piano.

Rose crouched down and slowly started to examine one leg at a time.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Fred pointed to the leg that was diagonal from her. She walked and crouched down beside him.

Low and behold, it was what she was looking for.

With shaky fingers, Rose slowly traced the initials of her parents, family members and of course the mischievous marauders. She gazed at the initials S.B for who knows how long until Fred broke her out of her thoughts.

"I wonder who A.S is. Wait, it is an A or R?" Fred squinted his eyes.

Rose watched him some more before taking out her notebook. "Thank you for today, Fred. I enjoyed myself."

He smiled, "I'm happy you enjoyed yourself. Just wished it went a little better."

"It was good."

"Maybe I should've brought you here first," he muttered.

"And risk getting caught? If we went out like this again, I'd do it exactly how we did it today."

"So, you would go out with me again?" He met her eyes.

The tone in his voice made Rose think she was missing something. She nodded not fully aware what she was agreeing to.

"I'll have to hold you to it," he grinned knowingly and laughed, causing her to give a light push. She couldn't help but smile. "Do you know what I've missed from you?"

She looked up thinking about it before she pulled her cheeks and made a funny face at him.

"Not that, but that was good," he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Then what?" She tilted her head.

"It was the closest to hearing your voice," he paused, "Your whistling."

Rose held her breath, unknowingly bringing her left hand to her throat.

Unknowingly she stopped making any sounds once her memory resurfaced of the night in the woods. She hasn't realized, but he did.

"The boggart. I can see you figured it out," he said softly. "I was hoping it was only going to be a short time. I know I'm being selfish, but I miss it," he smiled.

Her cheeks became quite warm and she knew it wasn't because of the fact they were sitting on a cold floor.

"Whenever you're ready. I'm here if you need to talk. I know I'm not the only one who's willing- No I should say _wanting_ to lend an ear. Pun intended." She softly smiled at the joke, looking at him nodding.

Not long after Rose looked back at the cravings on the piano leg, her head and body still facing Fred.

He took this to his advantage. He noticed short lose strands of hair had escaped her braid and were turning into fuzzy curls all around. The temptation to touch them were strong.

Soon, his eyes drifted to her lashes to her parting lips.

He wouldn't deny it if she caught him staring at them.

" _Can't lose another chance, Fred."_

And then he leaned forward and kissed her.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 20

" _I missed. I can't believe I missed it."_ He leaned back with a flushed face. One that was shared with Rose.

In the split second he leaned to kiss her, Rose moved her face to see the proper details of the initials once more, not expecting to feel something warm on her cheek, let alone lips.

The atmosphere felt close to suffocating gas.

She could still feel the warmth on her cheek, but she refused to bring her fingers to trace over it. Fearing it might make things different.

She was yet to figure out how Fred's single act had changed their view of each other.

Shortly after, their eyes met and both received a sheepy smile, taking note of each other's red face.

"S-sorry," Fred apologised softly, feeling embarrassed by the awkwardness he caused.

Rose shook her head and began writing, "You have nothing to apologise for, it was nice."

Fred gave a large grin. Feeling the atmosphere lighten, he scooted closer to her, tracing over the cravings as well.

"Do you know what all these are? I can't make them out," he confessed.

"Maybe you should borrow Harry's glasses," she arched her brow.

"Maybe then he won't go snooping around where he shouldn't," Fred snapped back, frowning his brows.

Rose looked at Fred taken aback by the anger in his voice. She's never seen that side of him.

He cleared his throat. "I got Ron to tell me," he paused briefly, "I heard about McGonagall being your guardian," he finally met her eyes to see her expression. He slumped his shoulders in defeat, sighing. "I didn't plan to say anything Rose, but I'm not particular happy with Harry for obvious reasons," he justified himself causing Rose to nod.

"I'm not sure how he found out," she wrote. It was picking at the back of her brain. If Hermione didn't say anything, he must've saw the permission slip himself. _"But it was in my trunk the whole time."_

"Never mind that. If you choose to talk to him again, I'm sure he'll confess. If not, I'll bring it out of him."

Rose shook her head, "That's okay." She gave him a quick look, _"Pranking your own teammate would not go well with McGonagall."_

"I'm sure Professor would let it slide if she ever found out," Fred spoke out before squinting his eyes at the craved initials once again. "Can you make them out?"

Like a loop turn, they started at the beginning.

She wrote down her page, parallel to the cravings on the leg.

J.P L.E L.E L.E

P.P

R.L

S.B A.S

C.B I.A I.B

R.B

"How did you know about this?"

"My uncle and father would always tell me about their school days, and I heard stories about this. I wanted to see if it was true." In truth she briefly heard it once, but she wanted to see a glimpse of their memories before things got dangerous for them. She had heard many stories growing up, but she still felt like she barely knew them. _"If only I could visit more often."_

"Do you think the rumours of this house were started by them?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"What house were your uncle and father in?"

"Gryffindor. My mother was in Slytherin."

"Really?" He wasn't expecting Rose to mention her mother. "What was she like?"

"Clumsy."

He would've spat out his butterbeer if he asked that question in the Three Broomsticks. "Rose," he exclaimed. "You shouldn't say that about your mum." He knew he'd get a bloody whooping if his mother heard him say that.

"Apparently it was true," she wrote, placing the notebook down on her lap to write more. "Smart too, knowledgeable in about everything."

"Do you remember her?"

"No. I remember very little about her. I know she kept her hair short after school, but in her photos, she had long hair, lighter than mine. Main thing I can remember is that she would make pumpkin pasties and she liked blue stained roses."

"Is that why you like pumpkin pasties?"

"Yes, it reminds me of her." She smiled looking at her words, sensing Fred looking at her she continued. "She was quite fond of Halloween, so it is bittersweet."

"Bittersweet?"

"She passed away twelve years ago on Halloween."

He was lost for words.

He did say he would lend an ear whenever she was ready to talk, but he wasn't expecting it to be now. And certainly not about her mother. She was quite secretive about it, maybe she's opening after being in the same house as her.

Either way, Fred was glad she was talking about her inner thoughts.

Opening was a good sign.

Right?

"I'm sorry -I'm sorry for your loss Rose."

"I didn't tell you so you could apologise," she wrote, before using her right hand to pull her cheek in an attempt to make a funny face.

He gave a small smile, _"Let me be there for you."_

"You're always there for me so thank you," she wrote before getting up to stretch her legs. She looked at Fred who had a blank expression on his face. She waved her hand in his face bringing him back to reality.

"S-sorry," he said flustered, getting up.

 **THUD**

"Bloody hell," Fred groaned, rubbing his head.

He forgot he was under the piano. He slowly got up, leaving his hand on his injury, "I know you're laughing Rose, it's not funny."

Oh, but it was to the little Slytherin.

"Things like this happen," she began.

"We will not tell my brother this," he gave a knowing look, hovering her notebook as she wrote.

"Which-."

"You know which one."

If she could, she would've been laughing harder. The clenching in her abdomen was intense.

"Your clumsy moment is safe with me."

"Rose!"

She stuck out her tongue before smiling. She headed towards the door and he followed.

" _Maybe it was a good thing it was the cheek."_

It wasn't long before they could see the village a few feet from them. They were lucky to not have been caught coming from the house.

"Do you mind if I go find Hermione?" she relaxed her shoulders, _"I should send a thank you letter to her parents. I do like this notebook"_

"Sure," he gave a small smile. "Want me to help you find her?"

She shook her head before she gave him a quick hug, she soon waved before disappearing from his view leaving him to his thoughts.

More so letting him wither in his thoughts on how he didn't get the chance to return the hug he received.

The warmth faded as fast as it appeared.

Instead of searching for Hermione, Rose decided to take a small detour into the woods. The lie rolled off her quill, she didn't want to alarm Fred on where she was going. The sunlight shed light to the path she was on, in no time she was greeted by black wolves. Wolves that looked similar to Prissy, the ones that were there on the night Harry and Ron confronted Aragog while Rose was in detention. They all soon surrounded Rose with their tails wagging, _"I've missed you too."_

After what felt like seconds, Rose was greeted by an unexpected person.

One she hasn't been close to in a while.

Hermione and Ron met Harry back in the Gryffindor common room telling him the adventures along with bringing him sweets amongst other things minus butterbeer.

The Broomsticks have yet to consider take away orders.

Of course, Harry filled his best friends with what went down in Professor Lupin's office aside from Prissy's origin. Though, he did find the information peculiar.

Why would Lupin tell Harry that?

Perhaps Prissy was there during his school time in Hogwarts?

Or did he know who her parents were?

Could he have been one himself?

Let's hope time reveals all.

"Harry, I don't think Snape would have tried to poison Professor Lupin in front of you," Hermione concluded. The trio were reaching the Great Hall, still discussing the topic at hand. Upon getting to their seats they walked past the candle-filled pumpkins amongst other Halloween decorations, though they spotted someone who hasn't made an appearance in a while.

There sitting at the Slytherin table was their plus one to the trio. Today was full of surprises, it seems Rose even agreed to attending the feast, giving herself constant pinches throughout the night. Though, she wasn't sitting with her classmates, more so her seniors.

Better yet, the seniors of her house.

It has been a full two months since Rose had entered the Great Hall for dinner. She had every intention to eat in the kitchen until a certain prefect decided to do their job and drag her to the Hall by a Professor's 'request'.

We can guess who is who.

If not, re-writing is in order.

"Could you quit pinching yourself," Farley huffed.

"I could, but no," she wrote before continuing her light pinching on her right arm.

"Well get used to it, no more meals in the kitchen," Farley muttered. "Also, how do you get into the kitchen?"

"Good question," one of Farley's friends spoke aloud. Rose had been found by Farley on the stairs heading to the fruit bowl portrait. She then proceeded to drag the third year to sit with her and her friends. More so a tight group of people no one messed with.

Everyone wanted to have their skin attached to their body during their years in Hogwarts.

Wouldn't you?

"You've been here for seven years and you still don't know how to get to the kitchen?"

"Oh, shut it, Rose," she rolled her eyes before continuing to eat her food. At that moment a red-haired boy came dashing through. "It seems someone is late, I wonder why," the prefect nudged the girl knowingly.

The rest of the dinner went by as smooth as it could've been. Majority took a while to realise Rose had joined the table after many weeks, the rumours from earlier that day took over but not as strong due to the food being served.

Though both Rose and Fred were unaware of the gossip brewing about the two.

Soon enough, Rose was dragged by Harriet and she sat with her roommates for the rest of the night, evidently sitting next to Malfoy. Much like her first day but the atmosphere seemed more hostile than expected for which she tried her best to ignore.

"The dementors send their love Potter!" said Draco as Rose throws a dinner roll at him which ultimately fell in Nott's soup. Draco looked at her unamused while she shrugged her shoulders. Nott being how he was, was not in the best of mood to have additional foods added to his menu, though Zabini found amusement in it but refused to show it. During the time, Greengrass gave a sweet smile to Rose while Parkinson kept softly chatting to Bulstrode.

It was a more peaceful Halloween night compared to the previous years.

Let's not jinx it.

"You can use my pockets if you need more room," he whispered causing her to freeze. She had thought she was subtle enough, but forgot she was sitting next to someone who was much taller than her. She didn't think she was going to get much sleep tonight, so she was subtly stuffing her pockets with pumpkin pasties, like she's done in the past. She shook her head before continuing, not realising someone else was doing the same as her.

Not far from Rose's seat were the trio. They did laugh at the throwing of the dinner roll, but it was almost a bittersweet moment, a reminder what the future Halloween celebrations would be in the Hall. Would they be considered the four ever again?

As the trio made their way to their common room and eventually find out about the uninvited visitor. Rose, however, was waddling slowly like a penguin for her crime not to be known. She didn't want anything to fall out of her pockets.

"Walking slowly like that will cause suspicion." Rose stopped and slowly turned to greet the Slytherin Prince. "Better walk faster Baby Gryffindor," he gently nudged her shoulder and they walked in sync. It wasn't long before they reached the stone wall. "Empty your pockets and come back here," he whispered. He too had pocketed pumpkin pasties and subtly passed them along to her.

A Malfoy being soft, how rare.

She creased her brows but nonverbally agreed and headed to her room. At this point the pasties were ready to spill over. If she was living in the wild, she would've been well stocked for the winter.

Like a rat, she was able to go and come back without being seen.

She crept into her room unnoticed, stashing her food away.

Priscila soundless asleep spread across the bed.

Nothing new.

By the time she left the common room, many Slytherin's were heading inside. The looks she was receiving were mixed but it was out of her hands. Absently walking, she was pulled aside by no other than the blondie.

"We should probably go now," Draco began to walk, making Rose trot behind him.

"Where are we going? It's getting late," she shoved her board in his face, not caring if it hit him.

"Watch it," he frowned. "We're going to get a check-up," his eyes glanced at her ear before they reached her own.

"Can't we go tomorrow?" She huffed. _"I really want another pumpkin pasty."_

"Pasties can wait."

"I didn't even say that out loud," she showed him the board.

"You didn't need to, it's written on your face," he cocked his smile into a smirk causing her to roll her eyes. "Now let's go."

Walking through the hallways at night was something Rose would do alone, it was a new feeling to be accompanied by a boy. Perhaps it was this boy in particular that made the feelings foreign to her.

"Where are you two off to?" They both looked a head to see their DADA teacher approaching them.

"We're going to get our check-up," Draco said bluntly.

Lupin put his hands up, "I'm afraid that will have to wai-"

"Madam Pomfrey already knows," he folded his arms unamused.

"All students are to be heading to the Great Hall," Lupin ignored the hostility and looked at Rose, worried for how she would react. "The teachers will be conducting a search of the castle after all the students are in the hall."

"Why do the teachers need to search the castle?"

"Because Sirius Black might still be here."

Rose held her breath as her eyes grew wide. The rest of the words that left the Professor's mouth was deaf to her ear.

Sirius Black

Does he really look like the photos in the newspaper?

What happened to his smile?

Questions of him surrounded her mind until the touch of her uncle broke them. "Let's go," he said softly.

Though Malfoy didn't like the closeness between Rose and the professor, he wasn't going to argue about heading to the Great Hall where everyone was.

As she headed to the entrance, she didn't spare a glance to McGonagall or any of the others as they closed the doors behind her. She was lost in thought until Greengrass snapped her fingers at her.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"She's fine Greengrass," Malfoy said sternly.

"Chill Malfoy, I was just asking. I was going to ask Rose if we could sit together at breakfast tomorrow," she looked between the two who showed no response, "or maybe another time is better?"

"Sounds good," Rose wrote and returned the smile shown on the other Slytherin's face.

"I-I'll join too. Whenever that is," Malfoy he scratched his head. Rose just shrugged not really knowing what to do. It was a big change for her. It was about time she had to get used to sitting at the Slytherin table.

"Did you want to sit with Parkinson and me for the night?" The open gesture would seem harmless but after last year, Rose wasn't sure on what would happen in the future.

Though luck was on her side as her talkative roommate came to her rescue. "Hey, I was looking for you, I saved you a sleeping bag next to mine," Harriet said.

"Oh, I'll see you next time," Greengrass gave a small wave before heading back to her own dormmates.

The last three stood there in silence until Harriet oh so kindly cleared her throat.

"I'll see you tomorrow Baby Gryffindor," he muttered before catching Harriet's eyes, "for the check-up. Meet me at the wall when you're ready"

She nodded, "Good night," she wrote.

"Night," he slowly disappeared into the crowd of students who were trying to pick where to sleep.

"Come on, we found a good spot for us four," she gave a small smile leading Rose the way. "Your letter is sticking out Rose, better put that in properly," she whispered, gesturing with her eyes.

Rose followed said eyes, picking up the letter and quickly flipping it. _"Uncle Moony must've placed it."_

"Is that where you disappeared to? To get a letter?" Alice said loudly.

"I swear one day Alice, that loudness of yours will put you in a whole heap of trouble," Harriet muttered before sitting on her sleeping bag.

"Sorry," she whispered before following her cousin. Rose did the same unbeknownst to the looks the young Slytherins received.

The rest of the night was a blur, from the first years gossiping to Gryffindor telling the story of how Black scared off the fat lady. Rose had heard all, but the process of such information made the girl stare at the ceiling wide eyed. There was no way she could sleep.

Around three in the morning Dumbledore arrived to check on the students. The conversation between him and Percy had was not only eavesdropped by the trio but Rose too. Though for Rose, memories of her reoccurring dream took over her mind. During that time, Snape and Dumbledore spoke not far from her sleeping bag.

"I do not believe someone from inside this castle would have let Black enter, no matter their _age or relation_ ," Dumbledore looked at Rose one last time, being fully aware she was awake before heading to the entrance leaving Snape to his thoughts before he too, left the hall.

All Rose could think about was Sirius Black then her thoughts, again drifted to the night in the woods.

It would always end with herself holding her throat for dear life.

Whether it was due to the body heat in the hall, her thoughts or the sleeping bag itself, it was too hot for Rose to handle. She could slowly feel the bile creeping up. She instantly got to her feet dashing to the entrance of the hall. She made it past Head Boy Weasley, running down the hallway to the nearest girls' bathroom.

She wasn't as discreet reaching the restroom, but she did lock herself in the stall in an attempt to be discreet emptying her stomach contents. Usually she was able to predict when her weak stomach would give out but not this time.

After a few minutes she flushed and headed to the sink to wash up.

"So," she paused, "how long?"

Rose wasn't surprised by the voice. After all, Professor Snape did ask her to watch over her.

The little flower tapped the mirror for which Farley didn't quite get.

Rose didn't have her board with her, so she wrote with her finger.

"Since the boggart. Should've guessed as much, it was a werewolf wasn't it?" Farley had her arms folded and feet crossed at the ankle, leaning on a pillar behind the girl. "People thought you were a werewolf, but Dumbledore wouldn't let a werewolf study in Hogwarts."

" _Despite the minor headaches on the full moon, I'm not quite like Uncle Remus."_ Rose shook her head.

"Maybe you will sleep better in your own bed?"

" _I haven't slept in my own bed since I started to live here,"_ Rose slightly nodded and followed Farley out of the bathroom.

"You're lucky Percy told me and not another prefect," she whispered. "I'm sorry that you think you need to hide this. Let's get you to sleep."

It wasn't long before Rose was back in her dorm room. Priscilla curled by her side and Rose continued to gaze. With no tiredness in the last ten minutes she decided to pull out the letter that her uncle so subtly sneaked into her jacket.

She knew it was an important letter because at the back on the bottom right was a small rose drawn in blue ink. It was her mother's way of saying to listen here and now and that everything would be okay.

My dear Rose,

I wonder how old you are when reading this.

You're currently 3 months sleeping on your father's chest. He too, is sleeping.

You resemble him a lot in behavioural stance but appearance wise I will always say that you look like me. I know you're only 3 months now, but your father and I bicker over you a lot.

In a cheeky way.

This past week we have been trying to track down my best friend. I am worried about her, but she had a second sight moment not long before you were conceived. We're hoping to find more information. I even asked Severus, but he has yet to update me on his findings.

The Wizarding War is taking a toll but knowing that you need a future is making us fight.

We need to keep you protected at all cost.  
I can only guess you'll be reading this repeatedly in the future.

You have been blessed with my grace.

Figured out what that means yet?

You have our hearts,

Love, your mother.

Before Rose had time to process the letter, her eyes fluttered and her dreams, more so memories took over.

 _She walked into the forest, wind blowing the fallen leaves across her path. The full moon shining in the starless sky._

 _She took the time to admire it, despite the headaches it sometimes gives her._

 _A howl was heard bringing her back to reality. "He's catching up to me."_

 _Barefooted, she ran further into the heart of the forest. A pounding headache erupted her thoughts. Steps could be heard, gaining behind her. "I don't know where to go." Tripping over her foot, she still continued._

 _The sound of crushing leaves ringing in her ears._

 _Frightened to look she ran faster, ignoring the ache in her feet. Not looking ahead, she tripped. Before she could get up, she knew it was over, seeing a large shadow in her view._

 _She slowly turned to see the one she feared cowering over her with a sinister smile._

 _All she could do was scream while he howled._

 _He let out a nasty snarl as he was an inch from her face. Her cries became mute as tears flowed down her face._

 _No one could save her now._

 _The beast slashed her throat and upper body, causing her to cough out blood. He roamed around her until she stopped shaking._

 _Dashed off out of sight thinking he has done his deed._

 _All she could do was hold onto her throat as she saw the retreating werewolf flee, all black fur._

Her eye shot open, but her body stayed still, like some mornings she stared into nothing until she could move her body. Slowly she got up, not having the urge to dash to the bathroom, Rose was almost not certain of what she should do next.

Before long she went to the common room but didn't expect it to be crowded.

"Did you sneak out to sleep in your own bed?" Harriet wiggled her brows. Rose nudged her elbow at her. "I'm kidding," she giggled. "Are you going for your check-up?"

"Not yet," she wrote, "Maybe after breakfast is over."

"Heading to the Great Hall?" The two roommates turned towards the voice. Who other than Greengrass to ask such a question.

Such a persistent Greengrass.

She may not be the only one.

"Are we heading to the Great Hall?" Harriet asked Rose.

"I think we are," she wrote.

"Awesome, let me join you," Alice jumped in smiling, "it'll be the four of us."

Rose and Harriet looked at each other.

What are their true intentions?

The Great Hall was as lively as can be. Who wouldn't be happy with a three-day weekend? Perhaps not a certain Gryffindor but you can't please everyone. As expected, the gossip spreading through the hall was of Sirius Black, any other gossip arising was deemed miniscule and therefore not mentioned.

But it would eventually arise.

It was just a matter of when.

Breakfast at the Great Hall for Rose was a new experience, but somehow enjoyable. The company wasn't what she was expecting but it was something she needed. A certain blondie didn't join them for breakfast, maybe he went back to sleep, who knows.

"I haven't seen you here in a while, Rose." Right behind her was no other than the Gryffindor who wouldn't like a day away from classes.

"Morning Hermione."

"Morning Rose, h-how was your sleep?"

"The same."

"How was yesterday?" At this point Rose could feel eyes on her flush face.

"I'll tell you later today?"

"Maybe after I eat?"

"Yes! I got a letter for your parents; I'll meet you by the Portrait?"

"Better be careful, portrait of Sir Cadogan and his grey pony replaced the fat lady's until, you know," she said quietly.

She nodded, at this point she really wanted her notebook and quill. Her fingers were chalk white.

Literally.

"I'll go and get it now and meet you either back here or there," she wrote before getting on her feet.

"Okay." At this point, the girls were in their own world, ignoring the stares from the boys and anyone else.

As Rose got to her feet, she was bombarded by her company.

"You, you should stay a little longer Rose," Greengrass said nervously.

"Yeah, let's all go back together, I'm still eating," Alice joined in, slowly chewing her food.

"You're eating like a Queen. When have you eaten this slowly?" Harriet spoke aloud, not caring if she offended her own cousin. "Why are you eating slowly?"

"I'm savouring the taste."

"You eat the same thing every day. Rose do what you have to do, we'll catch up with you later," Harriet smiled.

"I-I can go with you," Greengrass stood up, ready to follow.

"I'm okay, I'll be back here soon." Rose quickly dashed before Greengrass could join her. Not that she didn't mind her company, but she did feel like something was up.

It wasn't long, before she was at the stone wall. Within a few minutes of staying aimlessly did she get to enter. The common room wasn't as crowded compared to before. She could see students studying, chatting and even noticed Parkinson by the fire which was odd. She would always complain about the sparks the fire created.

She headed to her room with a familiar scent hitting her nose. Thinking it was a phantom scent she continued her way. Once she retrieved the letter with Priscilla did the scent hit her like a spell rebounded on her. She quickly walked further into the common room to see Parkinson and Bulstrode crouching by the fireplace with her craved box.

The box of letters.


End file.
